Secluded Lovers
by mikanlove
Summary: Misaki Ayuzawa and Usui Takumi are both actors. The two act in a movie together as lovers, but their director declares that their love isn't genuine enough. He forces Misaki and Takumi to live in a private villa—alone—and new feelings may develop between the young adults. But will they be able to handle a judgemental world head on? After all, fame comes with a price.
1. New Movie

"Misaki! Look here!"

Flash.

"Misaki! What's your favorite color?!"

Said girl rolled her eyes at the question. Why was the media so nosy?! Nonetheless, the fake smile she wore stayed plastered on her face, as she made her way to a limo. She gripped the shiny black handle, before climbing into the expensive and fancy car.

"Misaki! How was the premiere?" her bubbly, pink-haired manager asked. The girl replied with a shrug.

"It was nice I guess," she replied honestly. "Though the media makes it hard to enjoy..." she sighed. Her manager, Sakura, gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's fine. You'll get used to it at some point," she replies with a giggle. It was true, Misaki Ayuzawa was a new actress. She was fresh, young, and a huge hit, so she was currently high in demand.

"Anyway, enough about me. How's your relationship with Kuuga going?" she asks nonchalantly, trying to change the subject. Sakura grinned.

"Perfectly! He's so dreamy and handsome..." she cooed, intertwining her hands together. Misaki laughed.

"I'm glad," she commented, and before she knew it, the limo came to a stop. Misaki and Sakura opened the doors and exited. They made their way to the small house they shared. Misaki and Sakura were roommates in college, and deciding that they didn't want to live separately after their bond, they now lived together. Suddenly, the two heard a vibration.

"Ah, I'm getting a call," Sakura mumbled, pulling out her iPhone from her pink purse with a cute white floral design.

"Hello?" she inquired, tapping a foot on the marble floor impatiently. Her foot suddenly froze, and her eyes widened. She looked at Misaki, and mouthed something that she couldn't quite catch. "Really? Oh my god, that's amazing! I'll tell her right away," Sakura quickly squealed, taking her phone down from her ear a few seconds later.

"So? What's the news?" Misaki asked, getting a bit excited herself. Sakura giggled.

"Have you ever heard of Director Hirayama?" Sakura practically squeaked. Misaki looks a bit lost.

"Hirayama...? Hasn't he made a couple of movies...?" she asked. Sakura almost lost it there and then.

"HE'S THE MOST FAMOUS DIRECTOR OF ALL TIME!" she shrieked. "Every single movie he's made has won an Oscar so far!" she explained. "If you can star in his new movie, you'll be a sensation!" Sakura squealed.

"Really?" Misaki asked suspiciously, one eyebrow raised. Sakura nodded her head eagerly.

"Would I ever lie to you?" she inquired. Misaki nodded her head almost instantly.

"Well, yes, there was that one time when I invited you to come over, but you lied about being sick because you felt bad telling me you would rather go on a date with Kuu-" she began to explain, only to be cut off by her manager.

"THAT WAS ONCE!" she yelled. "And it wasn't a huge deal... I wouldn't lie to you about your career, Misaki," she reasoned.

"Alright... but I've heard this guy was very picky," Misaki sighed. Sakura nodded.

"You bet," she chimed in. Misaki glared at her.

"How am I going to get the lead part? I haven't even been in this industry for a year," she frowned, running a hand through her raven tresses. Sakura gave her a wink.

"With your talent, of course," she responded. "Also, being new to the industry is your advantage! Everyone loves a popular, fresh new face," Sakura assured her.

"I suppose you're right," Misaki agreed, giving her manager- and not to mention best friend- a half-hearted smile.

"You should rest up. It's been a long day," Sakura suggested, sensing Misaki's stressed mood. "I'll have the script ready by tomorrow," she promised.

"Yay, more work. My favorite," Misaki joked sarcastically. Sakura laughed at her friend.

"Speaking of work, you better memorize the entire script within' two days. That's when the auditions are," Sakura informed her with a sheepish smile. Misaki groaned at this news.

"What the hell...?!" she complained. Sakura shrugged.

"He has very high-standards," Sakura said, stifling a yawn. They were both pretty exhausted. Misaki made her way to her room, immediately flopping face-forward onto her bed. Being an actress was harder than it seemed. You had to be fake all the time- everything you did was to please the media. Sometimes she wondered what her life would be like if she used her college degree and became something more common; like a doctor, teacher, lawyer...

Misaki yawned, and she felt her eyelids getting heavy. Deciding she'd done enough today, she allowed herself to doze off. The next few days were going to be very stressful. She mentally prepared herself for it, as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **7:33 A.M.**

 **Misaki's P.O.V.**

Today, I didn't have any photoshoots, interviews, or other things of that sort, so I had the entire day to read over and memorize my script.

I make my way to the small kitchen, and thought about foods I could make that didn't involve cooking. Yep, I can't cook for my life. I literally burn bread in the toaster.

Eventually, I decided to settle for milk and cereal. Soon after, I heard Sakura stomp down the stairs. A bit of squealing could be heard from her, as well. Something good must've happened.

"Sakura!" I call. She rushes over to the kitchen. "Did something happen?" I ask. She nods enthusiastically, jumping up and down.

"Yes, yes, yes! Kuuga's coming over later~" she gushes. I groan.

"Can you go over to his place instead?" I complain. Sakura gives me a confused look.

"Why? What's wrong with him coming over?" she asks, a pout on her face. I sigh.

"He always eats all our food when he comes over..." I say. "And he's a complete slob. He leaves the house a mess before he leaves," I add. Sakura rolls her eyes.

"You're just jealous because you don't have a boyfriend," she retorts, sticking her tongue out at me.

"I am not!" I quickly say back, offended by her remark.

"Yes you are!" she teases.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are-" Sakura tries to continue, only to be cut off by a knock on the door. She squealed.

"Ahh! That must be him!" she runs over to the door and swings it open. "KUUGIEEEE~" she squeaks sweetly. I almost throw up in my mouth. Did she just say Kuugie? What has the world come to...?

"Sakura," he greets back, patting Sakura on the head. They make their way inside the house, and I just sit here eating my milk and cereal.

"Sakura, do you have the script?" I ask her, suddenly remembering about it. She nods.

"Yes, yes! It's in my room, let me go grab it real quick," she responds, dashing across the house. Kuuga takes a seat next to me.

"Which movie are you trying to get into?" he asks casually. I shrug.

"I don't know. All I know is it's a movie by Director Hirayama," I say, putting another spoonful of cereal into my mouth. Kuuga's jaw drops.

"Are you joking?!" he yells, obviously surprised. I shake my head.

"Nah. He called Sakura and asked for me to audition," I add casually. His eyes widen in surprise.

"He wanted you to audition personally as well? That's crazy!" he exclaims. Soon enough, Sakura comes running back with a binder full of papers in her hands. She sets it down in front of me.

"You will be auditioning as Melanie Summers," Sakura informs me. I flip through the thick stack of papers.

"Alright, sounds good to me," I grin.

"Great. Now, Kuuga, lets play the game of Life!" she cheers. I laugh at her innocence and childishness. "Oh, Misaki, wanna join us?" she asks. I shake my head.

"No thank you, I have to memorize all of this," I frown, fingering the pages. She gives me a sympathetic look before running off to her room with Kuuga.


	2. Audition

**Third Person**

"Bye-bye, Kuuga-kun!" Sakura grinned, before shutting the front door. Misaki sighed.

"Sakura... It's been like four hours and I still have yet to memorize this all by tomorrow!" The stressed raven haired girl frowned. Sakura took a seat beside her.

"Don't worry! We'll make it work," her pink haired best friend/manager encouraged. "Here, I'll be Aaron," she offered, clearing her throat. Misaki cracked a smile.

"Aaron, what should we do? The whole town is looking for us," Misaki recited.

"Melanie, go on without me. Run away," Sakura said dramatically.

"But... Aaron... You'll come back for me, right?" she asked, her voice sounding sad.

"Yes... I will," Sakura nodded. Misaki stuck her pinky out.

"Promise?" she offered.

"Promise," Sakura concluded. The two looked at each other for a few moments, before bursting out into laughter.

"That was great," Misaki grinned. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Totally! And I'm sure you'll rock even more when you're on set with a professional to recite lines with," Sakura added. Misaki giggled a few times more, before standing up.

"I think I'm ready for tomorrow," she said determinedly, stretching her arms.

"I think you are too. Show them you're not afraid to put on a fight!" Sakura cheered. Misaki grinned at her friend's enthusiasm.

"I would say something like 'I'm going to go make dinner now', but you know me and my cooking skills," I joke. Sakura giggled and stands up as well.

"I guess that's my cue to start cooking," Sakura jokes.

Sakura made a very healthy dinner of macaroni and cheese, and the two ate in silence.

"Oh, by the way," Sakura spoke up, breaking the silence. "Kuuga said that one of his best friends were specially recruited for the new Hirayama movie as well," Sakura said, chewing on another spoonful of mac and cheese.

"Really?" Misaki piped in. "What role is he trying out for?" she asked, genuinely curious. Sakura sucked on her spoon for a moment thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty sure he was trying out for one of the leads- Aaron if I'm not mistaken," she replied. Misaki almost choked on her food.

"W-what?! I have to pretend to be in love with your boyfriend's best friend?!" she yelled in disbelief. Sakura shrugged.

"It's not a big deal," she said. "There's a first time for everything. Besides, it's all professional, so no need to worry," she assured her anxious friend. Misaki's expression seemed to soften at her words.

"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be getting so worked up over this," she agreed, finishing off the last of her meal. "I'm off to bed," she announced, walking off to her respective space.

"Night," she heard Sakura call from the kitchen. Misaki closed the door to her bedroom behind her.

"Tomorrow's the day..." she muttered to herself. Yes, tomorrow is the day. Her entire career would be decided- after all, being in a Hirayama film was no joke. It could change her entire life. Misaki tried her best to shrug off the nervous feeling she had, but she couldn't. What if she failed? What if she let down Sakura and her family...

"No. I won't allow that to happen," she said to herself sharply, pinching her cheeks. Sighing, the raven haired female decided it was time to go to bed. She read her script a couple times more, before she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Allowing herself to drop the binder, she felt her body go limp as she fell asleep.

* * *

 **7:15 A.M.**

 **Misaki's P.O.V.**

"Misaki! Wakey wakey," I hear a voice call. What the hell... I'm pretty sure my alarm didn't sound like that.

"I'm up..." I groan weakly. Upon hearing no reply, I relax and drift back off to sleep. That is, until my crazy best friend decided to jump onto me and smack me in the face with a pillow.

"AUDITIONS ARE IN 45 MINUTES! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT UP!" she squeals. I jerk up at that. 45 minutes?! I'd better hurry up.

"What?! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" I ask, running over to my wardrobe and pulling out a random outfit. I ran into the bathroom with my clothing, and quickly undressed.

"You wouldn't budge!" she defends from outside of the door. I roll my eyes, before climbing into the shower. I turn the two knobs, and shudder at the feeling of the cold water against my skin. Eventually, it warms up, and I quickly wash up. Climbing out of the shower, I don't even bother to dry myself off, and instead justthrow on my outfit for the day. I open the bathroom door and fly out.

"Let's go, let's go!" I scream hurriedly, running a brush through my knotted hair. Sakura nods, slipping her beige sandals on. We both rush out of the house in a hurry, and she climbs into the driver seat of our red Mercedes, while I seat myself in the passenger seat.

"We have half an hour," she informs me. I sigh in relief. "Luckily you don't wear any makeup, or we'd be running late by now," she laughs.

"Phew," I say, leaning back in my seat. I look at the outfit I had randomly chosen. Fortunately, it looked pretty good. I wore a coffee brown short-sleeved dress that reach my mid-thigh, along with a pair of black leggings. I had cream-colored flats on, and I used a hair tie to pull my hair back into a ponytail. Feeling quite put together, I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the engine running. Soon, I heard Sakura twist the key and pull it out.

"We're here," Sakura announces. I suddenly felt very nervous again like I was last night.

"Yay..." I say weakly, opening the door and stepping out. I saw a small building with a sign that read 'Japan Hall'. I gulped. I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Sakura grinned at me.

"Just like we practiced," she winks at me, before walking into the building. I trailed shortly behind her. As I entered through the door, I bumped into someone.

"Ah!" I cry. I fell backwards, cringing at the incoming pain. Only, the pain never came. Instead, I feel a pair of strong arms catch me. I peek an eye open to look at the person who caught me. He was a very tall man, with spiky blonde hair. Not to mention very captivating emerald eyes.

"Be careful," he says, allowing me to regain me balance. I can't help but blush a bit. Why the hell was this stranger making me blush?!

"T-Thank you..." I mutter, my legs feeling a bit wobbly from embarrassment and nervousness of the audition. He releases my waist, before walking off past me. I shrug my purse back onto my shoulder, and make my way to the audition room. I see three people sitting at a desk in front of a large stage.

"Ah, Miss Ayuzawa," a man with black hair says. "Right on time. Please do go up on the stage," he gestures towards the large platform in front of him. I nod, making my way up onto the stage.

"Hi, I'm Misaki Ayuzawa, 21 years old. I'm auditioning for the part of Melanie Summers," I introduce myself. I see a couple of people jot down notes.

"Okay, please read Scene 19 where Melanie is alone in her room," the black haired man, who I assumed to be Director Hirayama, instructs. I clear my throat.

"Oh, why won't mother understand?" I say in a broken voice, as if I were talking to myself. I sink down onto my knees. "I want to marry for love, not for power or status," I whisper, biting down on my bottom lip. "I just want to be free. I hate being a princess. I wish I lived my problem-free life I had before I knew I was someone with worth..." I mutter, tears threatening to spill. Yep, I learned how to cry on cue.

"Thank you, Miss Ayuzawa," he thanks me, and I step down from the stage. Of course, Sakura immediately comes up to me, squealing and showing me with hugs.

"Woo-hoo! You were brilliant, Misaki!" she congratulates me. I roll my eyes.

"I don't even know if I got in or not yet," I laugh. She grins at me.

"Yeah, but they'd be crazy to not accept someone as awesome as you!" she cheers. I smile.

"You're opinion is biased since I'm your best friend," I say, patting Sakura on the head.

"Don't ever underestimate yourself, Misaki," she pouts.


	3. Amusement Park

"MISAKKKKKKKKKKKI!" I hear a high-pitched voice squeal. I wince a bit from the volume of her voice, but quickly recover.

"Yes, Sakura?" I ask, walking out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in my mouth. It's been about a week or so and the auditions, and since then, we haven't been very busy. I've only had one photoshoot two days ago, but other than that, I had a clear schedule. Pretty rare for an actress.

"Guess what?! GUESS WHAT?!" she screams. I wince once again.

"Sakura, take it easy," I say. "What? Did I win the lottery?" I joke. She shakes her head and tosses her phone at me. I catch it instinctively.

"Not too far off, though!" she exclaims, gesturing for me to read what was on her phone. I immediately scan the screen, my eyes widening.

"I-Is this true?!" I ask in disbelief. She eagerly nods her head.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE IN A HIRAYAMA FILM!" she cheers, throwing her arms around my neck. I just stand there, my brain not quite registering it yet.

"I... I got the part...?" I whisper, still not believing it. "And I'm going to be a lead character?!" I say, louder this time.

"Yes! You did it Misaki," she congratulates me. I grin.

"When does shooting start?" I ask. She unwraps her arms from my neck.

"Well, it's supposed to start in like 3 days- it's not going to be a shoot, but more of a get to know each other thing," she responds.

"Makes sense," I nod my head.

"Wanna go anywhere today?" she asks me. I shrug.

"If you want to," I say, not really caring if we went anywhere or not.

"Alright, the amusement park it is," she declares. "I'll invite Kuuga to come with us, as well!" I roll my eyes, though I kinda assumed she'd end up inviting him.

"I'll get ready, then," I say, forgetting momentarily that I had a toothbrush in my mouth the entire time from all the excitement. I walked over to the bathroom sink and rinsed my mouth out. I sigh. Knowing Sakura and Kuuga, I'd probably just be tagging along, and they'd treat it like a date.

I got dressed in a white tank top, with a light blue cardigan over it. I had navy blue jean shorts on, and some white converse. I tied my hair into a side ponytail that was slung over my right shoulder, and I grabbed my light brown and beige shoulder bag. I walked out of my room to see Sakura.

Sakura had on a white dress with black polka-dots on it that reach her upper thigh. She wore white leggings, and her usual beige sandals. Her hair was tied up in her everyday hairstyle, which was pigtails.

"Let's go, Misaki!" she exclaims, pulling me by the wrist and towards the front door. She turned the golden colored knob before rushing out the door, her grasp still firmly around my wrist. We dashed down the streets, towards (I'm assuming) Kuuga's house. Suddenly, I bumped into someone, my head hitting their chest. I stumbled backwards a bit, and would've fallen if it weren't for Sakura holding onto me.

"Kuuga!" Sakura cheers, pulling him into a tight hug, and finally letting go of my wrist. I look up to see who I bumped into. I blush.

"Y-you again!" I exclaim, pointing an accusatory finger at him. He stares at me with his emerald eyes.

"Is that any way to talk to your savior?" he teases. I blush even more and stomp my foot.

"Sakura I'm leaving, have fun on your date!" I announce, walking away. Sakura gives me a sharp glare that I could feel even though I wasn't even facing her. I turn around, sighing.

"Misaki, please stay for me?" she pouts. Well, I guess a bit of torture is worth it to make Sakura happy...

"Fine," I frown, walking back to the group of people. "Who's this?" I ask, pointing towards the spiky blonde haired man.

"If you wanted to know my name that bad, you could've just aske-" he started, only to be punched in the arm by me.

"Not a word out of you," I command, glaring at him.

"Yes ma'am," he says, yet I can still hear the teasing tone in his voice, which pisses me off.

"Oh, this is my friend. His name is Takumi Usui," he tells me. I freeze. Did he just say what I thought he did?

"What?! As in the actor Takumi Usui?!" I exclaim. He nods in confirmation.

"Yep. You're an actor too, aren't you, Misaki?" Kuuga asks.

"Yeah... OH! That's right, speaking of acting, I got into Director Hirayama's new film!" I tell him happily.

"Really? Wow," he says. "Did you get in too, Takumi?" he asks his friend. Wait, he auditioned?

"Yeah," he replies, kicking a rock with his shoe. What?! I'd have to be see this guy every single day for a few months?! I sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Sakura... Can we go yet?" I plead. She rolls her eyes at me, shoving a piece of pink cotton candy into my mouth.

"Relax, Misaki! Enjoy yourself!" she smiles.

"Easier said than done..." I murmur. I feel a hand on my shoulder. Assuming it was Sakura, I patted it. Wait, Sakura's in front of me with Kuuga...

"Get the hell off of me!" I scream, whacking Takumi's hand away. He glares at me, staring into my amber eyes.

"You seem upset," he states. I snort, flipping my hair behind my shoulder.

"You think?" I ask sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I can see him frown from the corner of my eye. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?!

"Misaki! Look! Lets do this!" I hear Sakura exclaim, a mischievous glint in her eye. I walk up to her, a bit fearful now.

"Which one?" I ask. She points towards a small stand that was set up right in front of the woods. I grimace.

"That one looks fun and scary!" she cheered, sneaking a glance at me. Damn you, Sakura! She knew very well I was scared of things like ghosts and vampires- I know it sounds silly, but I was NOT going to enter those woods.

"C-can we please choose any other activity? I'll even ride on the scary rollercoasters," I stammer, paling a bit when she shook her head. She went up to the lady at the stand and asked what their objective was. Apparently, all you had to do was get to the other end of the woods and exit. First one out wins. Of course, I wasn't thrilled at all, even with my usual determined and strong attitude.

"Okay, three, two, one, go!" The lady quickly counted down. I froze on the spot, but Sakura shoved me into the dark area. I'm going to kill Sakura when we get back home...

"Sakura?" I ask. No reply. I furrow my eyebrows, a bit frustrated now. "Sakura!" I call a bit louder. Still no reply. Did she go on without me? That was very likely- after all, she had a tendency to neglect the things around her when she was with Kuuga, so I wouldn't be surprised. I frown. Great, I was lost.

I wandered around a bit, anxiously turning my head back and forth to make sure nothing dangerous was around me. I would occasionally call Sakura's name, but of course never got a response. What if they already finished and they left without me? I suddenly feel really frightened. I could sense a strange presence around me. I turn around, scanning the pitch black area behind me.

"Is anyone there?" I ask, trying as hard I could to keep my voice from wavering. No reply. I cautiously take another step. All of a sudden, I hear a snapping noise come from behind me. Someone was there. I made a dash for it right there and then, because quite frankly, I didn't want to die. I was so lucky I decided not to wear a dress today. I ran as fast as I could, but I could hear the footsteps behind me getting closer by the second. Damn, whoever it was, they were fast.

"Watch out!" I hear the offender from behind say. Wait a minute, I knew that voice. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to register that, before I tripped over a ledge and tumbled down a steep hill. I could feel small, sharp rocks cut my skin, and the dirt getting into my small wounds didn't help at all. I kept rolling, my mind foggy and blank. Eventually, I felt myself reach the bottom of the hill, but I didn't bother to get up. I just lay there, gasping for breath. My legs were too sore to keep walking, anyway. I heard the footsteps again, but this time I didn't bother running away, mainly because I didn't have the strength to. I felt a warm hand touch my cheek, and I flinched a bit.

"Misaki, are you okay?" I hear the voice ask. He had a low voice, and I could tell just by how he sounded that he was probably pretty good-looking too. Not that I'd admit it to anyone.

"A-are you... Takumi...?" I guess. Even though I couldn't see anything in the darkness, I could somehow make out the shape of his head nodding. "Why are you here...?" I ask.

"You weren't on the path, so I decided to go after you," he explains. I cough a few times.

"Stalker..." I murmur, before closing my eyes. I could feel him let go of me, and stand up.

"Can you stand?" he asks. I nod, which is obviously a lie, but I didn't want him to think I was some weak and helpless damsel in distress.

"Yep, a simple fall can't take me down," I declare, sounding confident, though I really wasn't. I get up onto my knees, before using a large amount of effort to stabilize myself onto my feet. He frowns, clearly seeing right through my façade. He reaches his hand out towards me, giving me a simple push on the shoulder with his index finger. I immediately lose balance and fall down, except his other arm was right by my side prepared to catch me.

"You call that being able to stand?" he asks. I grin sheepishly, though he probably couldn't even see my facial expression in this lighting. He sighs, before getting down onto one knee. He faces his back towards me and taps me on the leg.

"Get on," he instructs. Not wanting to anger him further (I mean, I was kinda going to be stuck with him in the woods for at least a good half hour, so it wouldn't be the smartest idea to piss him off), I obediently climb onto his back. Awkwardly holding onto his shoulders, I feel him stand up suddenly, which of course makes me instinctively panic and wrap my arms around him.

"Don't fall off," he tells me, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. I had the urge to punch him, but like before, I restrained myself. "If we keep heading that way, we can make it out of this forest within twenty minutes," he informs me, gesturing north with his head.

"Hey, Takumi," I say.

"Hmm?" he asks.

"Why do you act so close to me even though you only met me this morning...?" I inquire, genuinely curious.

"Well, why do you call me by my first name when we only met this morning?" he asks right back. I frown at his response.

"I don't know. I call everyone by their first name," I answer with a shrug. "Plus, I had to go to America for a while not too long ago since that's where we shot our movie. I got used to calling everyone by their first names there," I respond. He nods in understanding. Before I could further question him, a bright light causes me to flinch.

"We're out," he announces. I blush.

"Yeah, no kidding," I say sarcastically. "Now put me down," I demand. He shakes his head.

"You can't even walk," he reasons. I sigh, knowing it was true.

"You can carry me until we find Sakura just this once," I blush an even darker shade of red at the words that came out of my mouth. "But just this once! Don't get used to my kindness," I command, although I found it quite comforting to be on Takumi's back.

We searched around the exit, and found a hyperventilating Sakura, along with a... normal Kuuga. Sakura caught sight of Takumi and I and immediately came rushing over.

"MISAKI! WHERE WERE YOU?!" she cries. I sheepishly slide off Takumi's back.

"I got lost," I admit before she could jump to some crazy conclusions. "And then Takumi found me... but I kinda hurt myself so he helped me back," I explain. Sakura gasps.

"You're hurt?! You have to start filming in almost three days, though!" she exclaims. I sigh.

"I know, I know," I say, trying to calm her down. "It's really nothing serious. Just a few scratches here and there," I assure her. Of course, the blonde haired jerk had to ruin everything, though.

"A few scratches? You couldn't even walk," he scoffs. I give him a sharp glare, while Sakura gasps.

"YOU CAN'T WALK?!" she exclaims. Sakura glances over at Takumi. Was she going to do what I think she was? She better not be...

"Takumi-kun, can you please carry Misaki over to our car? If that wouldn't be too much trouble," she asks. He smirks, and like the pervert he was, happily agreed. He walked over to me, and before I could react, he swept me off my feet as if I were a princess. I feel my face get really hot, and I felt a bit dizzy from the scent of him. Damn, he smelled really good...

"NO! I hate Takumi!" I yell out loud. Whoops, pretty sure that was meant to stay inside my head... Of course, the alien smirked his signature smirk once again, before whispering something into my ear.

"Thinking about me?" he asks alluringly. I punch him in the arm.

"Shut up! Put me down, I can walk the rest of the way!" I protest, struggling out of his arms, and stomping the remaining three feet, ignoring the stinging pain in my legs. I climb into the passenger seat of the car and slam the door. Sakura was already waiting for me in the driver's seat.

"Ready to go?" she asks me. I nod silently, still blushing furiously from earlier. Sakura turns on the engine, before carefully driving off. Suddenly, a thought occurs to me.

"Wait, when did we bring the car?! I thought we walked here," I inquire. Sakura doesn't take her eyes off the road.

"Oh! When you were lost in the woods, I asked Satsuki to bring our car," she replies. "I had a feeling we'd need it," she adds. Wait, what? Did she say Satsuki?

"Satsuki's back?!" I yell. She nods her head, a grin on her face. "Yay! Satsuki's back!" I cheer. Satsuki used to be my manager, until she had to move away to some other part of Japan for some reason. That's when Sakura decided to take over as my manager (Sakura used to be my stylist). Now, my new stylist is Aoi. He's Satsuki's nephew.

Yeah, lots of changes, I know. Anyway, I was really excited to see Satsuki again after a few months!

Maybe today wasn't so bad after all.


	4. Rehearsals and Announcements

"Satsuki!" I yell like an excited little kid. I jump on her and hug her tightly. She returns my hug, laughing a bit.

"Misaki! It's been a while, hasn't it?" she greets. I nod eagerly.

"It's been too long!" I pout. This was my side I only showed people I liked. "Why'd you have to leave for a while?" I ask. She wears a sad smile.

"I'll tell you some other time," she replies gravely. I decide not to push it, and instead focus on our reunion.

"Are you going to start working with me again?" I ask. She grins and nods.

"Definitely! That's why I came back!" she exclaims. Sakura giggles.

"Tell her the good news, Misaki!" Sakura reminds me. I nod my head, jumping up and down a few times in excitement, and wincing a bit when I feel a sharp pain go through my legs. Crap, I forgot about my injuries. I stop jumping, and instead just smile.

"Satsuki, you know Director Hirayama?" I ask. She scoffs.

"Who doesn't?" she jokes. I stick my tongue out at her.

"Anyway, I'M GOING TO BE ONE OF THE LEAD ROLES IN HIS NEWEST MOVIE!" I squeal, hoping Satsuki was proud of me. As expected, Satsuki stared at me in surprise.

"W-wha...?" she stutters. "You really got in?" she asks me suspiciously. I nod.

"Yep! Sakura helped me lots, so be sure to congratulate her too!" I add. Satsuki giggles.

"Good job, you two! Ahh, you really are amazing, Misaki. I knew you had it in you," Satsuki beamed. I give her a wide smile.

"I'm so glad you're back, Satsuki!" I exclaim, giving her an even tighter hug than the one before. "You should live with Sakura and I!" I suggest. "We have like two extra spare rooms. We bought a pretty big house," I assure her. Satsuki put her finger on her chin in thought.

"Well..." she says, pretending to think.

"Yay! Satsuki's moving in!" I cheer. Sakura joins in on my cheering as well. Satsuki laughed.

"You know me too well," she grinned. We were all pretty much smiling like idiots the rest of that evening.

In case you're confused about how Satsuki and I know each other, let me explain. Satsuki was very close friends with my mother, Minako Ayuzawa. I would often spend lots of time with her when I was a child, so I basically had two motherly figures in my life. Once I decided to become an actress, Satsuki offered to be my manager, to repay my mother back for everything she did for her, so that's how that happened.

"I have to go to that meet-the-crew thing tomorrow," I say. Sakura nods.

"Yep. Try not to kill Takumi, okay?" she giggles. Satsuki looks at the two of us.

"Takumi? As in Takumi Usui?" Satsuki gasps. I sigh and nod.

"Sadly. He has a shitty personality," I frown. Satsuki giggles.

"Oh, he's the one that saved Misaki from the woods, right?" Satsuki asked Sakura.

"Yup! He's really nice," Sakura answers, the two of them complete ignoring my earlier statement.

"No he's not!" I protest. Sakura snickers evilly.

"Oh yeah? That's not what you were thinking while he carried you on his back," Sakura retorts, crossing her arms. I blush. I could practically see sparkles in Satsuki's eyes.

"He carried her out of the woods on his back?!" Satsuki squeals. "You left out all the good details when you told me this story earlier!"

"And, even better," Sakura starts, "He's going to be the male lead in the same movie as Misaki!" she adds. Satsuki gasps.

"I'm coming with you two tomorrow! I need to meet this boy that captured Misa-chan's heart!" she gushes. I blush an even darker shade of red.

"I don't like him! In fact, I hate him!" I protest. Sadly, I knew Satsuki wasn't going to change her mind.

"I'm off to bed now~" Satsuki announces, finding a spare bedroom and claiming it. I sigh.

"Well, I'm beat. I'm going to my room now," I tell Sakura, standing up. She also proceeds to stand.

"Same. I'll probably have to wake up early tomorrow to wake you up," she giggles. I laugh as well.

"Good luck with that," I joke, going to my bedroom. I lay down on my bed, pulling out my iPhone that Sakura bought me for my birthday.

"What to search..." I mutter to myself. Suddenly, my fingers grow a mind of their own and start typing in something. I hit enter, and immediately blush. Why the hell would I search 'Takumi Usui'?!

"Stupid phone! Even you're betraying me!" I yell, throwing my phone at my soft mattress to make sure I don't break it. "I guess I do owe him a 'thank you', though..." I murmur, deep in thought. I pinch my cheeks.

"When did you start thinking about boys?! You hate him. He's just like everyone else. All men are the same," I lecture myself. It works temporarily- luckily long enough for me to fall asleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

 **6:12 A.M.**

Wow... I woke up early...? That's rare. I had to be at the studio by 7:30 A.M., so I had a bit of time to waste. I got up out of my bed and went to my closet. I grab some clothes that match and go to the bathroom. Stripping out of my pajamas, I turned on the shower and waited for the water to get warm. After it was to my liking, I took a step in and quickly bathed.

After about 5 minutes, I turned off the water and dried myself. I threw on a long-sleeved shirt dark red shirt that had a yellow happy face on the front. I put on some black leggings and over that I slid on athletic shorts. I wore the same white converse shoes I had on yesterday at the amusement park. I twisted my chest-length raven hair into a bun, and fixed a few bobby-pins into it to keep it in place.

"Sakura! Satsuki! Wake up!" I yell. I hear a groan come from the pink headed girl's room and smile in satisfaction.

* * *

"You're Misaki Ayuzawa, correct?" Director Hirayama asks me. I nod.

"Yep," I respond.

We were currently at the same huge hall we were at during the auditions. Sakura and Satsuki came with me, and we were the first ones here. We basically sat and waited for a good five or so minutes, before I heard a door open. I turn around to see who it is, and I immediately regret it. You guessed it, Takumi Usui was here. I was actually kinda wishing it was a joke when he said he got in yesterday, but this confirmed my suspicions. I was going to have to pretend to be in love with an alien. And not just any alien, a perverted one.

Soon after, more people came flooding in. I immediately recognized one of the girls that walked in. Shizuko! I haven't seen her since our high school days! She noticed me staring at her, and gave me a small smile and a wave. She walked over to me and stood beside me.

"Misaki, nice to see you again," she greets. I nod.

"Yeah," I agree. "I didn't know you got into acting," I say, honestly surprised. She smiles.

"It just happened that way, it was pretty unexpected on my end as well," she replies, remaining calm and put-together as always. I giggle a bit at how similar she was to how she used to be.

"Okay, everyone, we're going to make a circle!" I hear someone announce. A circle? What the hell were we, kindergartners? Nonetheless, I joined their circle of sitting people. "Everyone say your name and what character you're playing in the movie," he instructs. "We'll start with you," he decides, pointing at me.

"I'm Misaki Ayuzawa, and I'm playing Melanie Summers," I introduce. I learn that Shizuko was going to be Ruby Willows, my best friend, so I was pretty excited about that. Takumi, of course, was going to be Aaron Park, the male lead in which I had to 'be in love' with. I didn't really pay attention to anyone else.

"Okay, now we're going to practice our lines. Can I get everyone who acts in Scene 26 to please step to the middle of the circle?" he instructs. I stepped to the middle, and so did Takumi. Just us two, nobody else. Crap, I forgot this scene was between just Aaron and Melanie!

"Melanie, you have to do it for the people of Seika," he says gently, grabbing a lock of my hair. He's pretty close, so I can smell his intoxicating cologne which makes me a bit dizzy.

"B-but I don't have enough confid-ence," I stutter weakly, flustered by the man in front of me. God damn it, I messed up.

"Are you okay Misaki?" the director asks me. I nod.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Can I retry that?" I apologize. He gestures for us to restart. Like last time, Takumi grabs a few strands of my hair and says his line. I try to speak clearly this time.

"B-but I don't have enough confidence," I say louder, hoping nobody noticed my slight mess up at the beginning. Crap, I knew working with him wasn't going to be easy.

"It's okay, Melanie. I believe in you," he says, and I have to admit, he's a pretty good actor.

"But I don't believe in myse-ACHOO!" I say, turning away from Takumi and tucking my face into my elbow to sneeze. Wow, I'm such a great actress. How the hell did I even get chosen for this movie? I hear the director sigh.

"Okay, next scene, that's enough for today. Can I get everyone that's in Scene 34 to step up?" he says, and I see Shizuko, Rachel, and Natalie step up.

In the scene, Ruby (Shizuko) is consulting Lucille (Rachel) for help about how to cope with Melanie (me) being upset. Alice (Natalie) interrupts their conversation and assures them that Aaron (Takumi) can take care of her. They all agree, and I couldn't help but have a feeling of déjà vu back to yesterday night when Sakura and Satsuki were insisting Takumi and I were perfect for each other.

After going through about five more scenes (luckily I had none with Takumi for the rest of the session), we called it a day. Everyone was dismissed. Well almost everyone. I was about to leave, but I heard a voice call my name.

"Ayuzawa, Usui," I hear Director Hirayama say. I turn around to face him.

"Yes?" I ask. He has a strange smirk on his face that I'm not quite liking, but decide to listen to him anyway.

"Please join me for a cup of coffee," he says. "Oh, and you two can come as well," he gestures towards Satsuki and Sakura. "Be at 'Aroma Mocha' in 15 minutes," he instructs, walking away. I stare at his retreating back, dumbfounded.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Sakura assures me. "Now, I suggest we get to that café," she says. I steal a glance at Takumi who was nonchalantly talking on his phone. He seemed to be smiling with whoever he was talking to. I feel a bit strange, but shrug off the feeling.

We climb into my (and Sakura's) car, and make our way to this café called 'Aroma Mocha'. It's about a 7 minute drive, so we arrive there a few minutes early, though it appears both Takumi and Director Hirayama did, as well. I walked inside the café and took a seat beside Takumi (it's only because it would be disrespectful to sit right beside your director, okay?).

"Okay you two," he starts. "The chemistry between you guys isn't how I want it to be," he says. I gulp. "So, we have three options," he decides.

"Which are?" I ask.

"One, I'll have to kick one of you guys off the set," he frowns. "But I'd really like to avoid that option. Two, I can have a decent movie, which I'd also not like very much," he says. "And three, you guys can go to live in one of my villas in a secluded area. You can make phone calls, though, of course. You guys will live there for two months, and it should strengthen your bond and improve your acting skills for my movie and your future ones," he explains. "So? Which will it be?" he asks us.

"W-wait, don't we not have enough time to waste two months in a villa?" I inquire. He shakes his head.

"My actors must be perfect. That's why I've only made three movies. I spend lots of time prepping everyone and everything. That's why every movie I've made has been an Oscar winning one," he explains. "I have plenty of time. There's no set date for this movie to be finished," he concludes. Damn it, he had a point.

"I'm okay with living there for two months," Takumi replies with a nonchalant shrug. I turn around to see Satsuki and Sakura's reactions. They were basically what I expected.

Satsuki had flowers blooming around her, and she was fangirling the entire time behind my back. Sakura, on the other hand, was snickering mischievously, her eyes beckoning me to accept.

"Um... I guess I have no other choice..." I sigh, earning a squeal out of Satsuki, and a cheer out of Sakura. "Want me out of the house that bad?" I ask Sakura in a joking tone. She giggles.

"If it means you finding your true love, it's worth it," she cheers. "Maybe we could go on double dates sometime!" she gushes, making plans that were never going to happen.

"Alright then," Director Hirayama says, catching our attention. "Don't worry about supplies, there will be enough for a month. At the beginning of the second month, I'll have extra supplies sent to you just in case," he informs us. Suddenly, I remember my family.

"Wait, my mother won't approve of this!" I announce. "She's not going to let me live with a perv- I meant, a man!" I exclaim, pointing an accusatory finger at Takumi. Director Hirayama chuckles.

"Really now? She seemed perfectly fine with it when I talked to her earlier this morning," he says. My jaw drops.

"You visited my mother earlier?!" I exclaim in surprise. I haven't even seen my mother in a couple weeks or so.

"Yep," he replies, obviously pleased with himself. "Get packed within' two days, I'll have someone drop you two off on Friday," he says, standing up. "Goodbye." I watch him walk out of the café casually, and drive off in his fancy, probably very expensive car. We were all silent for a while, until Sakura giggled.

"That was... an interesting conversation," she comments. I nod in agreement.

"I couldn't agree more," I add. I look at Takumi, and realize he's been staring at me. I glare at him. "What do you want?" I ask. He chuckles, which annoys me further.

"You're strange, Misaki Ayuzawa," he remarks, before standing up and walking away. I glare at him even harder.

"Who are you calling strange you alien?!" I fume, getting up and yanking my purse onto my shoulder with me. Everyone in the café stares at me due to my sudden outburst. I blush and apologize, leaving the place, Sakura and Satsuki right behind me. I sigh.

This was going to be the longest two months of my entire life.


	5. Moving In

"Sakura, where's my black watch?" I ask. She seems to scan the room a few times, before her eyes light up.

"Found it! It's over there, halfway underneath your pillow," she replies. I smile at the sight of it.

"Thanks," I say, picking up the wrist watch. I was currently packing my things because I'm being forced to live with Takumi. I'm not very excited. Sadly, my career depended on this, so I had to oblige.

"It's okay, Misaki. You only have to be with him for two months," she tells me in an attempt to lift my spirits. She was sensing my upset mood.

"Two months is a long time," I frown, shoving a few more articles of clothing into a large orange travel bag with wheels. Sakura looked sad all of a sudden.

"I'm going to miss you," she says all of a sudden. "I'm rethinking handing you over to Takumi so easily," she walks over to me, and hugs me tightly. My expression softens a bit as I hug my best friend back.

"Me too," I agree, getting a bit emotional. "Call me lots, okay?" I ask.

"Everyday," she promises. I pat her head a few times, and eventually she unwraps her arms from me.

"Better finish packing. We're leaving tomorrow," I mumble to myself, making my way to the bathroom. I dig through a small cabinet in the bathroom to grab some supplies I needed. Returning to my room and dumping them into a zipper pocket on my bag, I flop on my bed. I was really going to miss this bed.

"I'm all packed," I inform Sakura, who was standing near me.

"Okay," she responds. "I'll wake you up early tomorrow so we can spend a bit of extra time together," she says. I smile up at the ceiling.

"That sounds perfect," I affirm. I open my mouth and let out a loud yawn. Sakura giggles.

"Goodnight, Misaki," she whispers, walking over to the light switch and flicking the lights off. I close my eyes and let myself sink deeper into my soft mattress.

This was my last night at home...

* * *

"Misaki! Misaki!" I hear someone call. Probably Sakura. I get up out of bed, uncomfortable away from the warmth.

"What is it...?" I ask groggily. As expected, Sakura ran into my bedroom.

"We're running late! Crap! I forgot to set my alarm!" she exclaims. Wait... Late? For wha- oh my god I completely forgot, I'm leaving today!

"What if they leave without me?!" I yell, making a mad dash for my wardrobe. Wait, if they leave without me then I'll have an excuse to stay behind, right? Actually, screw it. I'll get kicked off the crew if I do that.

I decided to skip a morning shower today, and instead just threw on a random jumble of clothing items. I tied my hair up into a ponytail so you couldn't see how bad it looked, and I took my suitcase and ran out the door.

"Bye-bye, Misaki! Have a great time!" I hear Satsuki call from the door. I look back to see Sakura and Satsuki standing by the door and waving at me. I give them a wide grin and a wave. I turn back around and see a black car. Was I supposed to go in there? What if that was the wrong car?

Suddenly, the window rolled down and a girl with peach colored hair popped her head out the window.

"Are you gonna get in or what?!" she snaps at me. I blinked a few times in shock at her sudden outburst, before running over to the car. I climb into the backseat, and throw my luggage over the seat and into the trunk.

"Sorry," I apologize with a sheepish smile. She just sighs and rolls her eyes. She pulled her head back into the car and rolled the window back up.

"You're Misaki Ayuzawa?" she asks me. I nod my head, a bit terrified of this lady.

"Yes..." I reply quietly. She studies me in the reflection of the rear-view mirror, narrowing her eyes.

"You're not as great as Daniel described you to be," she comments dryly. I frown.

"Who's Daniel?" I ask, hoping not to sound rude. She scoffs loudly.

"You don't know your own director's name?" she snaps once again. Ah, Daniel Hirayama? Interesting, a Japanese last name but an English first name.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind," I retort, a hint of venom in my tone this time. She was being beyond rude to me, and I didn't like her one bit. I feel the car come to a stop, and the door across from me opens. I look at the person who opened the door, and freeze. There he was, the person I had to live with for the next two months.

"Hey," he greets, closing the door once he was seated beside me. I stare out the window and try to ignore him. "Nice outfit," I hear him chuckle. Oh yeah, I just threw on some random things this morning. I look down to examine the outfit I chose, and it was HIDEOUS!

I had on a red and black plaid short sleeved shirt, and some colorful polka-dotted leggings with Pikachu shorts over it. My socks were grey and black stripes knee-high socks, and my shoes were pink sneakers. The colors and patterns all clashed and nothing matched. All in all, I looked pretty damn bad. Why would Sakura even let me leave the house like this?!

"Thanks," I reply sarcastically. He grins.

"No problem, Misa-chan," he smirks. My face turns red- I can't tell if it's from anger, embarrassment, or a mixture of both.

"Don't call me that!" I yell, throwing a glare at him. He just laughs, which angers me more. When I'm just about to attack him, the driver stops me.

"Please don't get blood inside my car. If you want to kill him, do it outside," she says, dead serious. "We're here anyway, so get out," she barks. I shove open the door, not wanting to be with this scary woman anymore. Takumi also gets out of the car right behind me. He tossed me a key which was on a small and delicate chain that could go around your neck easily. So, I slid it around my neck.

"She gave us these keys," he says. "Let's get our luggage out of the trunk," he suggests. I nod in agreement, making my way to the back of the car. The trunk was unlocked for us, so we threw open the top, and grabbed our stuff. Soon after, Honoka came out of the car. She sighs.

"Okay, follow me. I'll show you where your house is," she instructs. We follow behind, and I try not to talk in order to keep her from getting mad at me. Eventually, after a bit of walking, she stops. I look up at the large building in front of me. Did she call this place a house?! Cause this place was a freaking MANSION.

"Alright, you two have the keys and everything. Supplies are in the house. Stay off the third floor, the first and second are yours. Claim any room you'd like. Try not to kill Takumi, and have fun," she explains, adding that little tidbit at the end for me. I watch her walk away, back in the direction she came from, before turning around and facing the huge 'house'.

"It's a villa," Takumi says, as if he were reading my mind. I glare at him.

"I knew that," I retort, which was obviously a lie, but whatever. I walk up to the door and insert the key that was around my neck into the keyhole. Twisting it left, the door opened with a satisfying 'click'. I turn the doorknob and throw the door open. Inside, there was a beautiful fully-furnished living room. I run inside, pulling my luggage along behind me. I can hear Takumi's footsteps follow behind, and the door close.

Since I wanted to claim the first room, of course, I ran upstairs to the second floor, luggage in hand now. I kicked open every door I passed, searching for the perfect room.

I take a liking to the third one, which had light blue walls and ceiling, white marble flooring, and on the left wall there was a large white bed that looked super comfortable. Beside the bed there was a white table to place stuff on. Other than that, I could decorate the room however I'd like.

I peek my head out the door to steal a glance at Takumi, and I watch him walk into the room right beside mine. Being curious, I sneak over to the room and poke my head inside. Strangely enough, nobody was there. I swear I saw him walk in here... Maybe he really in an alien? I turn my head to the left and scream the loudest I have probably in my entire life.

"OH MY GOD! TAKUMI WHAT THE HELL?!" I shriek, staring directly into his emerald eyes. "You scared me!" I accuse. He pats my head.

"You're too cute," he chuckles, walking into the room for real this time. Shit, that was scary. I was still breathing heavily, and my heart was beating wildly. He thoughts scaring me was 'cute'?! Well then, let's see how he feels when I scare him back but ten times worse! I run back into my room, and unzip the largest pocket on my luggage bag. While I organized everything, there was one thing on my mind.

Mission: Scare Takumi.


	6. Revenge Failure

**11:47 P.M.**

Alright, it was pretty late by now, so it was time to put my plan into action! Well, there really was no plan, but I was going to attack him while he was sleeping, or something like that.

I pushed my bedroom door open, and luckily, the door didn't make a sound. I walk a few feet, and push my ear against Takumi's door. I listen for a few seconds, before deciding he was asleep and the coast was clear.

I push open his door, which was left open just a crack, and like my door, it opened silently. I slip inside of his room, and spot his bed. Perfect. I sneak over to his bed, crouching down so I was hidden by the frame. I count down in my head, and on three, I spring up and jump onto his bed, onto to be greeted by softness. Pure mattress, no Takumi. Where the hell was he?! I try to sit up to scan the room, but instead I get pinned down by a larger body.

"Misaki... If you wanted to sleep with me you should've just said so," a voice teases. I grit my teeth. Damn it!

"Nobody wants to sleep with you, pervert!" I protest, struggling in his grasp. Sadly, my hands were both pinned above my head by his, and he was hovering over me. He chuckles.

"Misaki, what are you thinking?" he asks. I blink a few times in confusion. "You're so innocent... Wandering inside a man's bedroom in the middle of the night," he whispers huskily into my ear. I blush. I try to kick him, but my body fails me. I was practically frozen.

"L-let me go!" I yell, managing to muster up the strength to push him away. I make a mad dash out of his room, and into mine. I slam the door behind me, gasping for air. I didn't even need to place my hand over my chest- I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Seriously, who does that?!

I walk over to my bed and whip out my phone. I decide to text Sakura to calm myself down. I send her a few messages about how I miss her, and how much I hate Takumi, but I get no response. Sighing, I put my phone back onto the white table. Luckily, I've managed to calm down my spastic heart heart, and decide to abort 'Mission: Scare Takumi'. After that experience, I don't think I'd like to try again.

Even though I didn't feel sleepy, my body begged for sleep and my eyelids felt heavy. I give in, and eventually feel my body go slack as I drift off to sleep.

* * *

Mmm... That smells really good...

"Sakura... What are you making...?" I murmur to myself. Suddenly, my eyes snap open and I awaken with a jolt. I wasn't in my own house... I lived with Takumi now... So why did I smell someone cooking?

I throw off my covers and run downstairs, just to make sure there were no intruders in our house. Well, I don't understand why a thief would start cooking, but whatever.

I was welcomed into the kitchen by a heavenly aroma that smelled much better up close than from my room. I sneak a peek at who was cooking the food, and freeze. In front of me, was a (handsome) blonde haired man. Also known as Usui Takumi.

"What?! You can cook?!" I exclaim in surprise. He turns to face me.

"Yeah," he replies, placing an omelette on both of the plates. He holds a plate out in front of me.

"W-What? I can't just take this," I stutter, feeling a bit guilty about taking the food. He frowns.

"I won't eat if you don't," he argues. I gulp, and stare into his eyes. He was serious. I sigh, giving in.

"You idiot..." I mutter, taking the plate from his hands. I pick up the spoon that rested on the side and picked it up. I cut a small chunk of the food off with my spoon, before scooping it into my mouth. Takumi was eyeing me, waiting for a reaction. My eyes widen when I swallow my first bite of the omelette. It tasted really delicious- the eggs were fluffy, and the rice inside was sticky and fresh. I had to admit, he was really an amazing cook.

"I-It's good," I compliment, scooping another piece into the spoon. Honestly, good was an understatement. Why the hell was this guy an actor instead of a chef? I turn to see Takumi still staring at me. I blush.

"What is it...?" I ask. He chuckles.

"Your expressions are too cute," he comments. My blush darkens.

"I-I'm going to go eat in my room!" I fume, taking the delicious meal with me. I walk up the stairs and into my bedroom. I sit down on my bed cross-legged, and enjoy my food.

"It's so yummy," I mumble to myself, picking up my phone. I turned the screen on to see 8 new messages from Sakura. I smile to myself, clicking on my conversation with her. She basically sent me the typical "hey how are you doing" text, in which I responded I was doing well. She updated me on what was going on back at home (nothing very noteworthy) and that was basically it.

I finished off every last bit of my breakfast, and carried my empty plate downstairs. It appears that Takumi returned to his room, so I threw my dishes into the sink, feeling too lazy to clean them right now.

I rushed back up to my room once more, feeling a bit bored. Sakura wasn't responding to her texts, and she really didn't want to seek the company of Takumi. There wasn't really any cool stuff to do, so I decided to take a walk. I got undressed out of my pajamas (which I now realized I had been wearing the entire morning) and wore a cute light blue dress that reach my knees, along with a white cardigan. I threw on some white flats, tied my hair up into a ponytail, then went downstairs. I'd been wanting to enjoy the scenery around here ever since we got out of the car.

I opened the front door and left. I wandered around the small area around our villa for a while, before deciding to go even further. I saw a nice area with tons of trees surrounding it, and decided to make my way there. The closer I got, I realized it was a forest. I checked my black watch that Sakura found for me back at home, and it read '9:42 A.M.'

I just realized I forgot my phone at home, but decided it would be a good idea to enter the forest anyway. After all, the sun wouldn't start setting for more than 7 or so hours. I'll be back before Takumi even notices I'm missing. I walked for a while before I found myself in front of the entrance to the forest. I shuddered when I realized how dark the inside was. I remember the day when Takumi had to save me from the woods when I got lost. A subconscious smile appears on my face. I check my watch once again, and it reads '10:13 A.M.' Damn, it took me half an hour to walk here. I should probably head back now. There was no way in hell I was going to enter a forest that dark.

So, I began my walk home. I took a different path from the way I came, and on my way back, I found a nice spot beneath a tree. I sat down beneath it, feeling the soft grass beneath me. It almost felt like a mattress in a strange sort of way. The sound of a nearby lake soothed me, and I could feel my eyelids growing heavy... No, I can't fall asleep here... But maybe, just a short nap. I'll wake up in about half an hour.

* * *

My eyes flutter open, but no sunlight hurt my eyes like I expected. I jerk up, looking around to evaluate my surroundings. It was pretty dark out, and I wasn't liking it. I press a button on my watch to make the screen light up, and I check the time. My jaw drops. It read '8:41 P.M.'! How the hell did I sleep the entire day away?!

I get up on my feet and make a dash back to our house. Shit, Takumi was going to be pissed! I've never seen him mad before, and I have to admit, I never want to.

It took me about ten minutes to get home while running at top speed, and before I open the front door, I allow myself to regulate my breathing. I inhale sharply before unlocking the door and carefully stepping inside. My heart was beating so fast right now, it was actually starting to freak me out. With every step I took, I had to look around to make sure Takumi wasn't anywhere.

I carefully made my way up the stairs, one a time, slowly and hesitantly. I made sure every step I took was silent. At last, I reach the top of the staircase. I tip toed to my bedroom, and turned the doorknob. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing I had succeeded in sneaking back in.

Or, that's what I thought.

Right when I opened the door, my amber eyes were locked with emerald ones. I gulp nervously. That honestly scared the crap out of me, but luckily I didn't let out the scream that was at the tip of my tongue.

"T-Takumi..." I greet nervously. I offer him a small smile, only to be crushed against the wall behind me. He stared at me, never even once breaking eye contact. His emerald eyes seemed to pierce through me, and I suddenly felt very frightened.

"Where were you?" he asks me in a low voice. Something about his tone told me not to mess around, so I decided not to.

"I-I was outside," I answer vaguely, realizing I sounded like a smartass. That only caused his glare to harden.

"Where outside?" he demands. I whimper a bit when his grip on my wrists tighten.

"N-Near the tree! I f-fell asleep!" I reply, trembling slightly beneath his gaze. I could see him search my eyes to see if I was telling the truth, and when be decided I was, his expression softened. His grip around my wrists loosened, and he pulled me into an embrace.

"Don't ever do that again," he scolds me. "You got me so worried," he adds gently. I blush. He was worried about me? I let him hold me without struggling, since I did feel pretty bad about making him concerned.

"I'm sorry," I apologize genuinely, burying my face into his chest. His arms were comforting and warm, making me never want to leave them.

 _Why was I enjoying this? What was wrong with me? I am not enjoying this. I am half asleep. It's just because I'm tired. I don't care one bit about this alien. Yeah, that's it._

"You haven't eaten all day," he comments with a frown. "I'll make you something," he offers. I nod, feeling a bit disappointed when Takumi's arms retreat from my frame.

We walk down the staircase and to the kitchen silently, and I couldn't tell if he was still upset with me or not. I decided not to mention it and just hope the incident would pass over and be forgotten.

Once again, a wonderful scent fills the room due to Takumi's cooking, and he gives me a bowl of ramen. I eat in silence, enjoying the meal, but stealing glances at Takumi every now and then who was staring at me. Once I finished, I dropped my dishes into the sink once again, deciding to do them tomorrow.

"Thanks," I say gratefully. I walk up to my room without another word and flop on my bed. I pull out my phone and text Sakura.

"To: Sakura

From: Misaki

Maybe he's not so bad after all... But that doesn't mean I like him. Goodnight."

"To: Misaki

From: Sakura

Aww... That's cute! I ship it ;) Goodnight!"


	7. Advice of a Teen Magazine

"Misaki," a voice calls. I groan. I'm too tired to get up...

"Five more minutes..." I mumble, shoving my face into my fluffy pillow. The person places their hand on my shoulder and shakes me slightly.

"Misaki, get up," I hear the voice say. It was obviously Takumi since he was the only one in this house with me. We have visitors," he informs me. With that, I jump out of bed, suddenly very energetic, and run downstairs. Could it be Sakura? Maybe Satsuki? Whoever it was, I would be happy to interact with any human after being trapped here with Takumi for a few days. I run to the front door and throw it open. In front of me is a green haired woman, along with an auburn haired one.

"Hello! I'm Misaki Ayuzawa, who are you?" I greet.

"I'm Subaru," the green haired one says.

"And I'm Erika," the auburn haired one introduces. "And we're your neighbors!" she exclaims happily. I give them a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you... Can I help you?" I ask, a bit confused as to why they decided to come over.

"No reason really, we just wanted to say hello! If you want to come over at any time, don't hesitate to!" Erika explains. I nod in understanding.

"Sounds good to me!" I agree. "Wanna come in for a bit?" I ask. They both shake their heads.

"Nah, we're going to- IS THAT YOUR BOYFRIEND?!" Erika exclaims. Subaru, on the other hand, was completely calm.

"Boyfriend...?" I was honestly confused. Erika pointed behind me. I turn around and see a shirtless Takumi. I blush a dark shade of red.

"Takumi! What the hell are you doing?! P-Put a shirt on!" I yell at him, flustered. Instead of listening to me, he leans over and rests his chin on my shoulder.

"Misaki... Should we resume our earlier activities?" he asks with a wink. My face got even hotter, if that was possible.

"NO! WE WEREN'T EVEN DOING ANYTHING!" I scream, turning to face the blushing girls at the doorway.

"We're sorry for interrupting you, please continue and don't let us ruin the moment. Goodbye," Subaru says, grabbing Erika's wrist and running off. I turn around and scowl at the blonde haired idiot.

"What the hell was that for?! That was my only opportunity to make a real friend out here!" I fume. He feigns hurt.

"Ouch, I'm not your friend?" he says, a pout on his face.

"Sometimes you are! Just not always!" I say in an attempt to cheer him up. He raises an eyebrow.

"Sometimes?" he repeats. "You're interesting, Misaki," he chuckles. I puff out my right cheek in anger.

"I'm not 'cute' or 'interesting' or anything you keep calling me! You're an alien," I protest. He laughs at my outburst.

"I'm an alien?" he repeats once again. I nod my head in confirmation.

"A perverted one, too," I add.

"A perverted alien... Which planet do I come from?" he muses. I blush.

"Planet Pheromone," I reply. I actually spent a long time thinking about his weird species, so I basically had an answer to everything he asked. He chuckles again.

"That was rhetorical," he remarks. I cross my arms.

"Yeah, well, maybe I just felt like answering it," I defend, feeling rather argumentative today.

"I'm going to make breakfast," he says, completely ignoring my earlier comment.

"Okay," I reply in acknowledgement, following him, since I had nothing else to do. "Hey, Takumi," I suddenly say.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Can you teach me how to cook?" I request. He turns to face me.

"Why? I can do all the cooking for us," he says. I shake my head.

"No... I should learn to cook for when I go back home. Sakura was bugging me about it the other day but she said I was too hard to reach," I explain with a frown. He smirks.

"Well, that won't be a problem. When we get married, I'll still do the cooking," he teases. I blush, punching him in the arm.

"We are NOT getting married!" I yell. "Also, put on a shirt!" I command.

"Aww, but Misa-chan, I thought you were enjoying the view," he pouts. That earns him another punch.

"Well, you thought wrong, idiot! And don't call me that!" I rant.

"Okay, okay. Calm down," he complies.

* * *

I sat on the living room sofa, reading a magazine. It was a girly magazine that Sakura bought for me in college, and even though I thought it was silly, I still accepted it. Who would've thought I'd be reading it in a villa one day?

The magazine was mainly pages full of cute dresses and heels, but a few pages had childish activities like word searches or something. I flipped to the next page, and the heading said "Does He Like Me?" in large yellow bubble letters. I roll my eyes, but read the description nonetheless. It read "Do you want to know if your crush likes you? Take this 5 question quiz!" I roll my eyes, but find myself taking the dumb quiz anyway.

"Question 1: Does he worry about you?"

Let's see... Yes, he does. When I accidentally fell asleep outside, and I came back, he even told me he was worried about me. I check off the "yes" square with my sharp pencil.

"Question 2: Does he call you beautiful or cute?"

Well... He has twice, but it's probably just to tease me. Technically though, yes. I check off the 'yes' square.

"Question 3: Does he tease you or try to make you mad?"

Do I even need to think this one over? Hell yes, and it's annoying. I quickly check off the 'yes' square.

"Question 4: Does he ever talk about your future together?"

Well... He made that joke about marriage, but he wasn't being honest... At least, I hope he wasn't. He doesn't talk about our future, but we do have one together, since we're acting in the same movie and whatever. I check off 'yes', secretly wanting that to be the right answer. Though I'd never admit that.

"Question 5: Do you like him?"

WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?! HELL TO THE NO! I quickly slash the 'no' box, accidentally leaving a small tear in the paper. Whoops. Well, it was the paper's fault for making me mad.

I calculated my results, and most definitely wasn't pleased.

"He likes you, and you like him, but you're in denial!" the paper read. I blush.

"BULLSHIT!" I exclaim, standing up abruptly. I rip the paper out of the magazine and tear it apart. I stab the chunks of paper with my sharp pencil. I was NOT in denial! I knew I shouldn't have done that dumb quiz!

"What are you doing...?" I hear a voice ask. I snap my head to the side to see Takumi, staring at me in confusion. When the hell did he get there?!

"N-Nothing... Just reading a magazine," I laugh nervously. He raises an eyebrow.

"Reading a magazine doesn't involve tearing pages and yelling profanities," he remarks. I blush.

"Well, that's how I read magazines!" I argue. He chuckles, before turning on the TV.

"Let's watch a movie," he suggests. I give him a weird look. He changed topics pretty quickly.

"Uh, sure," I say, wanting to forget about that stupid magazine. I toss the torn pieces of paper into a nearby trash can. I flip off the lights, before taking a seat beside Takumi.

"Why did you turn the light off?" he asks.

"I just like watching movies in the dark. Makes them feel more real," I reply with a shrug.

"Are you sure that's why? You know, if you want to do something-"

"Hands to yourself," I shoot a glare at him.

"Yes ma'am."


	8. Horror Movie

Takumi inserts a disc into the movie player and turns on the TV. He won't tell me what he chose, so I just sat back on the large couch and waited for the movie to come on. I scoot to one end of the couch, while he sits on the other.

The first thing I see on the movie screen is a black haired girl wandering through a forest. Her eye color matched her hair, though it was hard to tell since she was in an almost pitch black forest. It reminded me of the time I got lost in the woods and Takumi had to save me.

Okay, so it was a bit creepy, but nothing scary. It was basically about a yandere girl killing anyone and everyone who tried to- OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL?!

"TAKUMI!" I scream in horror, pouncing on his figure I've been trying to distance myself from. He stares at me, but I can't see his expression in the darkness. I feel him wrap his arms around me, and I don't even mind. I was far too scared to care about anything right now. A creepy, laughing ghost randomly popped up onto the screen. It was stained with blood and it looked so realistic. I know it doesn't sound scary, but if you were actually watching the movie, you'd be terrified as well.

"Misaki... You should've told me you couldn't handle horror movies," he murmurs, pulling me closer to him.

"I-I can handle them... It depends," I weakly reply.

"Oh... Ghosts?" he guesses. I nod ever so slightly, but he seems to notice it. "Misaki, you're shaking," he comments, rubbing my back. It was true, my body was trembling. That was the freakiest jump scare I've ever seen in my life.

"C-Can we go go bed now...?" I ask meekly.

"If that's what you want," he replies, picking me up bridal style. He carries me up the stairs and into my room. Takumi put me down on my bed. "Goodnight," he says, turning off the lights, and walking out of the room with the door closed behind him.

* * *

Somehow, I couldn't sleep. Images of that dumb but horrifying movie kept popping up in my head. Damn, I knew watching a movie with Takumi wouldn't have been a good idea...

"Takumi..." I whisper. Why did I just say his name? I don't know. I think I've gone crazy.

I check my phone and see that the time is 12:24 A.M. Great. None of my friends would be awake at this time, so I couldn't call or text any of them...

BAM!

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT NOISE?!" I shriek, pulling the covers over my head. Is there a murder in here? A ghost?! "Y-YOU DON'T SC-SCARE ME, GHOST!" I yell in a feeble attempt to sound tough.

I feel something on my leg... A ghost...? No, a ghost would go through you...

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I lift up my blanket. I pull up my leg to my face and see THE BIGGEST SPIDER I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!

"AHHH! GET OFF!" I squeal, shaking my leg violently to get it off. Luckily, I see it fly somewhere across the room, but there is no way in hell that I'm going to sleep in this room after that.

I run out to the hallway of rooms, and my eyes land on a particular one. Takumi's room. Should I go...? No, I'll just sleep in one of the other rooms... But I'm still scared and can't fall asleep, so it'd probably be better to go into his...

I find myself in front of his door, hand on the doorknob. I inhale sharply before twisting the knob, which makes a small 'click' sound. I push it open, just enough for me to walk in, then close it behind me so no ghosts or spiders could follow me in. I walk up to his sleeping body, and notice how peaceful he looks. A subconscious smile makes its way onto my face. I see a fair amount of space on the bed that he's not taking up, so I quietly crawl into the bed, careful not to wake him. I pull the covers over me, and though I feel comforted just by being by his side, I couldn't help but long for something more...

"Takumi...?" I ask in a hushed voice. He stirs a bit, but other than that, doesn't awaken. I reach my hand over to his shoulder and tap it. His eyes snap open, revealing emerald orbs. His expression is a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, grabbing my wrist. "Did you change your mind ab-"

"NO! You pervert, I got scared..." I murmur. His expression softens, and he tucks a lock of stray hairs behind my ear. I blush at the gesture.

"You could sleep here tonight," he offers. I roll my eyes.

"That's what I was going to do, idiot, whether you liked it or not," I reply, feeling a bit nervous about sleeping in the same bed as him, but covering it up with anger.

"Okay, then. Goodnight," he chuckles. He turns away from me, and proceeds to go back to sleep. I feel a bit disappointed, but I don't know why. I kinda expected... more of a reaction?

"W-Wait, Takumi," I say. He doesn't turn around.

"Hmm?" he asks. Crap, was I really going to ask this? I don't want him to think I'm just like any other girl... I play with my fingers for a bit, and my face flushes red.

"U-Um... Could you- I mean... Can y-you uh, hug me..." I stammer. He turns around, and I can see that his eyes are wide. Eventually, he recovers from the shock.

"Of course, Misaki," he chuckles. I can practically hear the smirk in his voice. He moves over closer to me, and envelopes me in his arms. It's so warm and comforting, I completely forget about all my fears. I allow my eyes to close, and for the first time this night, I'm able to relax. I feel myself getting sleepy, but I don't want to fall asleep or else I won't be able to feel this sensation again... But sadly, against my will, I feel myself drifting off to dreamland.

"Goodnight, Misaki," were the last words I heard.

* * *

I open my eyes, only to have bright rays of sun sting them.

"Ugh..." I groan. I frown upon noticing that Takumi wasn't beside me. Why am I upset about that?! I should be glad that alien is gone... Speaking of, it's gonna be rather awkward for me to speak to him after such a request last night!

An amazing smell snaps me out of my thoughts. Ah, of course. Takumi's cooking was the only thing that could smell as good as this. Excitedly, I run downstairs in my pajamas. Damn, when was the last time I changed out of these? Crap, we haven't even done laundry once since we came here... I'll do it tomorrow.

"Morning, Misaki," Takumi greets. I nod at him in acknowledgement, but don't respond. He sets a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. I grin at the sight of food, and he obviously notices my expression and chuckles. I glare at him.

"What are you laughing at?" I ask, biting into one of the bacon strips.

"You," he curtly responds. I make a 'hmph' sound, and close my eyes in an attempt to ignore him. Suddenly, my phone rings. I pick it up and it appears Sakura is calling. I swipe over a green circle to accept the call.

"Hey, Sakura," I greet.

"MISAKI! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL OR TEXT LAST NIGHT?!" she yells like an overprotective mother. I wince a bit at the volume of her voice. Takumi peers over to see what's going on. Damn, she must've been really loud if even Takumi could hear her.

"Um, I-"

"OH, IT'S OKAY MISAKI!" she exclaims. "I know you were probably having some 'alone time' with Takumi... I CALL BEING THE GODMOTHER!" she cheers. I hear another voice in the background say something like "oh my god, really?" which is probably Satsuki. I blush.

"Sakura! I was NOT doing ANYTHING with that PERVERT!" I yell. Suddenly, I feel my phone slip out of my hand- upwards. I look up to see Takumi with my phone in hand.

"Misaki and I are 'busy' right now," he says into the phone, causing me to blush even more.

"STOP! NO YOU ALIEN-"

"Ahh! Treat her well, Takumi-kun!" I hear Sakura squeal from the other line. My face probably looks red as a tomato by now. I hear a 'beep' sound, and Takumi tosses me my phone back.

"Takumi, you idiot! You're giving everyone the wrong idea!" I exclaim. He chuckles.

"What? We're busy eating breakfast," he remarks. He has a mischievous glint in his eye. I gulp. "Ah, but was Misaki having some dirty thoughts?" he asks with a smirk. I avoid his gaze.

"No..." I lie. He chuckles again, which annoys the hell outta me.

"You know," he whispers huskily, leaning over to my ear. "We could make those thoughts come true," he says. I blush even redder- if that's even possible by now. I start backing up away from him.

"I-"

"Misaki, watch out!" he calls. My back hits the wall, and I hear a loud 'BAM' sound. I look up and see a bunch of unstable boxes above me. My eyes widen in fear. They come tumbling down, and I cringe as I wait for the impact to come...

Only to be jumped on by a larger figure. He knocked me to the side, and even though I got the air knocked out of me, I was unharmed. I open my eyes slowly, and I see Takumi hovering over me. I gasp for air like a fish out of water, and eventually my breath regulates.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?!" he demands. I'll admit it, I was a bit touched by his concern... Just a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I mutter, sitting up. "Are you okay, though? Did you get hit?" I ask, feeling pretty damn guilty for always making him worry about me.

"Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine as long as you are," he responds, hugging me tightly as if I would disappear if he let go. I felt my heart skip a beat, but I ignored it. Probably just heartburn.

"You alien, don't say such cheesy things..." I whisper. I have the sudden urge to hug him back...

"U-Um, we should clean up the boxes now," I make up an excuse, and he lets go of me. Wow, how many times has he hugged me within the past week? "And, uh, thanks," I murmur awkwardly. He gives me a wide grin, before standing up and making his way to the knocked over boxes. I walk over to help him out.

"Hey, Misaki," he says.

"Yeah?" I inquire. He smirks. Oh Lord, his smirks mean nothing but trouble.

"Wanna sleep together again tonight?" he asks. I blush.

"N-No! You're such a pervert!" I fume.

"Says the one who asked me to hold them last night..." he teases. I place another box onto the shelf.

"W-When did that ever happen?" I play dumb. He chuckles.

"Nevermind, it was all my imagination,"


	9. Truth or Dare

"Sakura...? What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, complete dumbfounded.

"Misaki~ I've come here to meet your children, of course!" she cheers. Behind her was Satsuki and Kuuga, who I didn't even notice earlier. My eye twitches.

"Haha... Real funny, Sakura. Why are you really here?" I repeat. She pouts.

"Are you not happy to see us? Or, did we interrupt something?" she probes with a smirk. I shake my head almost too quickly.

"One, I'm VERY happy to see you! Two, you are NOT interrupting ANYTHING!" I defend. Sakura runs up to me and gives me a big bone-crushing hug.

"Yay! Misaki is happy to see me~" she chirps childishly. I roll my eyes, but a smile still manages to make its way onto my face. "Oh! There's Takumi-kun," she points out. I turn around to see the blonde haired alien standing right behind me.

"Oh, morning," I greet nonchalantly. Sakura squeals in delight.

"Ahh! You guys greet each other like a couple too..." she swoons. "They're perfect together, aren't they, Satsuki?" she asks. Satsuki nods her head in agreement.

"Yes, a match made in heaven," she grins. Kuuga rolls his eyes.

"Okay, you saw Misaki, can we go now?" Kuuga whines. Sakura pouts.

"No... We're staying for a sleepover!" she protests.

"Um, I never said th-" I try to reason, but Sakura interrupts me.

"I promise we won't interrupt your nightly activities!" she insists. I blush.

"Nightly activities?! WE DO NOT DO ANYTHING AT NIGHT TOGETHER!" I defend. Sakura giggles.

"I know, but you're just so fun to tease," she gives me a cheeky grin. "So, we're staying the night, right?" she asks. I sigh. I could tell she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Fine, fine," I give in. "Is Director Hirayama okay with this?" I ask. I mean, it was his villa, after all.

"Yup, he said it was about time someone checked on you two anyway," she replies.

"Alright, go choose a room upstairs. The third and fourth doors are taken," I inform them.

"No way! Sleepovers aren't fun if we're all separated! We should all share a room," she decides. I groan.

"I agree," Takumi says. He's been rather quiet all this time, why'd he decide to speak now?

"We're sharing Takumi's room, not mine," I reply instantly. "There is no way in hell I'm letting two perverts into my room," I say. Sakura nods.

"You're not going to defend me?" Kuuga asks Sakura.

"Well, you are a pervert sometimes... But only to me because you love me, right?" she smirks. Kuuga ruffles her hair and looks to the side. Sakura blushes and squeals. Kuuga leans down to give her a kiss...

"Get a room," I call, pretending to vomit. Satsuki, on the other hand, looks like she's enjoying the show. Sakura sticks her tongue out at me.

"Oh, grow up," she retorts, receiving a peck on the lips from Kuuga.

"You two better not be making out all night," I warn. Sakura rolls her eyes.

"We won't," she assures me. "Now, I say we all go SWIMMING!" she exclaims. I sigh.

"And where do you suggest we do that?" I ask. She gives me a look.

"Have you not gone outside yet? There's a huge lake! It's really nice out, too," she explains. Ah, right, there is a lake. I remember seeing it when I fell asleep outside that one time.

"Let's go!" Satsuki cheers. "Let's get changed first," she suggests. We all agree and go upstairs to our rooms. Satsuki and Sakura came to my room, and Kuuga went to Takumi's.

"Well, guys, I didn't bring a swimsuits," I say, hoping we couldn't go swimming now. I hated wearing bathing suits.

"Oh, that's okay! I brought some along," Sakura grins. She pulls out a few two-pieces, before examining them all carefully.

"Why do you take so long to-" I ask, only to be rudely cut off by a piece of fabric landing in my face.

"This one is yours, Misaki," she says. "And this one is mine." she decides.

"Satsuki, you're not going swimming?" I ask. She laughs.

"I'm almost twice your age, that'd be a bit awkward. You two should have fun, I'll stay here and watch the house!" she explains. I nod in understanding. I turn to see Sakura staring at me, already dressed.

"Hurry and change, Misaki!" Sakura barks at me.

* * *

"Are you sure this isn't a bit too... revealing?" I ask.

I wore a purple two-piece, both the garments had dark blue zigzags on them, and the bottom had a built-in skirt over it. The thing is, the top was a bit low, and showed more than needed.

Sakura, on the other hand, wore a hot pink two-piece with green polka-dots all over them, and hers, unlike mine, did not have a built-in skirt, and was not as low in the front. She wore a purple sun dress over it.

"You look gorgeous, Misaki! It's not THAT revealing," she reassures me, admiring herself in the mirror. Still not fully convinced, I throw on an orange summer dress that ends right below my knees.

"If you say so," I say.

"Misaki, trust me. Am I ever wrong?" she scoffs. I laugh.

"Yes, a lot actually. Shall I start listing off everytime you were wrong?" I tease. She pouts.

"Oh, shush. Let's get going." she responds.

We go downstairs, and see Takumi and Kuuga waiting for us.

"Took you long enough. What the hell were you guys doing?" Kuuga asks. I roll my eyes. He had such a short temper.

"Getting dressed, obviously," I reply. He glares at me.

"Nobody was talking to you," he retorts. I give him an even harder glare.

"Actually, you fuc-"

"Alright, alright, break it up," Takumi says, lifting me up and throwing me over his shoulder. "Kuuga's just in a bad mood," he sighs.

"Put me down! TAKUMI!" I shriek, pounding my fists on his back.

"Nope," he replies, popping the 'p' sound, which irritates me further. "Let's go," he says, opening the front door and walking out. Everyone else follows.

"SAKURA! WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING ME?!" I scream.

"How do you expect me to help?" she asks. I glare at her.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe GET THIS PERVERT TO UNHAND ME?" I yell sarcastically.

"Sorry, Misaki, you're on your own," she apologizes with a sheepish smile. I glare daggers into my best friend's skull. Damn it.

* * *

"We're here!" Sakura announces. Luckily, halfway through our walk here, I finally got Takumi to let me use my own two legs to travel. "One moment," she says, taking me by the wrist and dragging me behind a tree.

"W-What?" I ask. She gives me a confused look.

"What do you mean? Hurry and take your dress off!" she says, raising her purple sun dress above her head. I gulp. I slowly pull my dress off, and leave myself in a bathing suit. I felt so naked, it was creepy. I've always wore one-piece swimsuits in the past, so it felt kind of odd to have my stomach showing.

Sakura dragged me back over to the lake, and luckily, the boys were nowhere to be found. I quickly jump into the freezing cold water to hide my exposed body. Sakura joins me, but unlike me, takes her time to get in.

"Where did Takumi and Kuuga go?" she wonders aloud.

"No idea," I reply with a shrug. Suddenly, I feel a tug on my leg. I gasp in surprise.

"Sakura, that's really not funny," I say.

"What are you talking abo-AH!" she squeals. "Misaki, what the hell?" she frowns.

"Wait, you're not the one who tugged on my leg?" I ask in horror. She shakes her head.

"No..." she confirms.

"Then what if it's a ghos-OH MY GOD!" I exclaim. I feel myself being lifted into the air all of a sudden, which of course surprises me. I glare at the offender to see- TAKUMI?

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?! You scared me!" I yell. I can see him scan his eyes over my body, which annoys me. "My eyes are up here, pervert!" I huff.

"I know," he chuckles. "You look nice... Just a bit less modest than usual?" he comments. I kick him in the chest, which makes him release me. I land into the water gracefully, before shooting him a glare.

"How can you even look modest in a swimsuit?" I point out.

"I thought you'd wear a one-piece or something," he replies with a shrug. "Not that I'm complaining," he adds with a smirk. Suddenly, I notice something about him that I didn't before. He was topless... and damn, Takumi had pretty nice abs. Not to mention that his dripping wet hair made him look about a million times sexier... Also- WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?!

"I don't like you! You're ugly!" I exclaim. He blinks a few times in confusion at the sudden outburst, but looks pretty amused nonetheless.

"Oh? Like what you see?" he asks. I blush.

"No way! I said you were ugly earlier!" I protest. He chuckles.

"You're cute," he randomly comments. My face flushes even redder.

"Shut up," I say. He smiles. What a weirdo...

* * *

For some reason, Sakura decided that we should invite our neighbors over to join our sleepover, so Subaru, Erika, Kuuga, Sakura, Satsuki, Takumi and I are now all sitting in a circle on Takumi's floor.

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Sakura announces. I groan. This was not going to end well. "I'll start," she says. "Satsuki, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"Okay, I dare you to FORCE MISAKI INTO THIS MAID OUTFIT!" she squeals, holding up a black and white maid dress. I stand up abruptly.

"WHAT?! That was Satsuki's dare, not mine!" I protest. She just ignores me and sends Satsuki off to get me changed. She pushes me into a bathroom and throws the outfit at my face before slamming the door shut.

"Really... Why the hell did she even have this thing...?" I sigh. I decide there was no way out of this, so I unwillingly put on the outfit. I look in the mirror, and immediately regret putting it on.

"SAKURA I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I scream from the bathroom.

"Okie dokie! Come out!" she calls back, completely ignoring my empty threat. I throw the bathroom door open and stomp out into the bedroom.

"There? Happy? I'm going to go take it off now-"

"No! Misaki! You have to leave it on for the entire game," she pleads. I roll my eyes.

"Fine," I sigh, sitting back down between Takumi and Erika. I catch him staring at me and shoot a glare at him. If looks could kill, he'd be dead by now.

"Ah, I think we should let Misaki go since I really didn't do anything for this dare," Satsuki suggest. I smirk.

"Sure," Sakura agrees.

"Satsuki, truth or dare?" I ask.

"Um... Dare?" she replies.

"Okay, I dare you to force Sakura to kiss Kuuga," I say. "Passionately," I add. Sadly, Sakura doesn't seem to care one bit (actually, she enjoyed it) and leaned over to start a make out session with Kuuga. I blush and cover my eyes most of the time in order not to ruin my innocence. I felt Takumi pat my head a few times and chuckle at my reaction.

"Um, that's enough," Subaru laughs awkwardly after they've been at it for a while. Sakura giggles and pulls away from her boyfriend.

"Okay. I think it's my turn again!" she announces. "Misaki, dare or dare?" she asks.

"What the hell? You forgot to say truth," I point out.

"I know, but it's not fun if you choose truth," she whines. I roll my eyes.

"Okay, fine, dare," I say confidently. It was her turn to smirk this time.

"I dare you to kiss Takumi," she grins.


	10. Frisky in the Dark

"K-Kiss?!" I manage to choke out. I look at Takumi to see him smirking. I blush.

"Is it okay if I initiate the kiss?" Takumi asks Sakura. She nods eagerly.

"Yes, yes!" she squeals. I shake my head.

"No, it's my dare, I want to do it," I blurt out. I was honestly shocked at my own words. I see Takumi's cheeks faintly tinged with pink. He actually looked pretty cute like that...

I lean over to him, my breaths short and heavy. I was pretty damn nervous... I was going to have my first kiss in front of my friends and two random people I barely knew.

"Misaki, if you don't want to-" he tries to say, but I cut him off.

"Shut up, I'm trying to do this for you..." I mutter, but I'm certain he heard it. I move closer until our faces are only inches apart...

Then I push my lips against his forehead to give him a quick peck. I pull back immediately afterwards, my cheeks flushed dark red. He gives me a pat on the shoulder as if to say 'you did well'.

"Yay! Misaki and Takumi kissed!" Sakura cheers. Satsuki ran off right after the kiss to grab some tissues for her nosebleed.

"You two are so cute together!" Erika chimes in, giggling a bit. Subaru nods in agreement. Kuuga just sat there cross-legged with a smirk on his face.

"Whatever! Let's go to bed..." I blush. Sakura frowns.

"Go to bed? Silly, you don't sleep at sleepovers!" she laughs. I sigh.

"Sakura, I live with you..." I say.

"Not right now you don't," she replies. "Anyway, where's the spare blankets?" she asks. I shrug.

"Just steal them off the spare beds in the other rooms," I reply nonchalantly.

"Okie dokie, I'll be back soon!" she announces, skipping out of the room. I take this opportunity to run back to my room and change out of the maid uniform. I put on some blue fuzzy pajamas, then take a seat beside Takumi again. I suddenly feel something linger on my neck so I shift a bit. I turn to my left to see Takumi's face dangerously close to mine.

"W-What do you want?" I whisper. He leans in closer.

"I'll repay you for that kiss later," he murmurs into my ear. I blush.

"D-Don't say such things..." I mutter, turning my head in an attempt to hide my red face. Right at that moment, I hear Sakura skipping back into the room along with Satsuki.

"I got them," she says, tossing everyone a fluffy blanket. Unfortunately, I'm the only one left without one.

"Ahem," I say, raising an eyebrow at the pink haired girl. She looks at me before gasping dramatically.

"Ah! Misaki doesn't have one! Takumi, will you share with her for the night?" she exclaims almost too quickly. Takumi smirks, and being the pervert he is, accepts the offer in a heartbeat.

"Of course," he replies, throwing the blanket over my shoulders and pulling me closer to him.

"What are you doing?!" I yell.

"Now now, we wouldn't want you to be cold, would we?" he chuckles, gently guiding my head over to lean on his shoulder. I blush, but don't say anything.

"Aha, okay, Erika and I will be leaving now," Subaru says. "It was a great day, though! Have us over again some other time," she smiles, before she and Erika depart the house.

"That was sudden," I comment, shifting a bit to get into a more comfortable position. Sakura shrugs.

"Whatever- AWW, LOOK AT THEM!" Satsuki squeals as her eyes land on Takumi and I. Sakura smiles. I was getting really tired, so I hardly noticed all the stares and 'aww's I was receiving.

"Misaki, you can't go to sleep yet..." Sakura says, gently shaking my shoulder. I open my eyes.

"Why not...?" I ask, stifling a yawn.

"We have to have storytime!" she replies as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh... Okay," I nod, still keeping my head leaned against Takumi's shoulder. I look at his face to see him smiling at me. I avert my gaze from his shyly.

"Ooh! I've got one!" Satsuki chimes in. "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Mitsuki. She fell in love with a boy named Takku! They got married and had three adorable children. The end!"

"Aww, that was so cute!" Sakura gushes. My eye twitches.

"Haha..." I say, rolling my eyes. Leave it to my friends to be discreet.

"Okay, we can go to bed now," Sakura giggles, snuggling up against Kuuga, who was lying down on the floor a while ago. Satsuki jumped up and turned off the lights, leaving us all in darkness. I felt Takumi lie down, and not wanting to leave his warmth, I decided to do the same. It was kind of awkward doing this amongst all our friends, but fortunately nobody could see anyone else in the dark.

"Misaki," I hear Takumi whisper. I look up at him.

"What?" I whisper back. I feel his finger graze my chin, and I can feel a shiver go down my spine. He leans down, and I can feel his breath on my lips. I blush, but luckily he couldn't see it. I suddenly feel his lips pressed against mine. My eyes widen.

Eventually, I naturally close my eyes as the kiss deepens. I can hear my heart racing in my ears, and my thoughts are all jumbled up. His alluring scent definitely wasn't helping at all. His lips were soft and warm, which made my legs turn to jelly. If I weren't lying down, I would have definitely fallen to the floor by now. He was a surprisingly good kisser, not that I'd ever admit that to anyone. I hadn't even noticed I grabbed a fistful of his shirt until now.

"Misaki!" I hear Sakura call. Crap, now was not the time! I quickly away from the kiss, panting ever so slightly. My face was stained with red. I wiped his saliva off my lips with my sleeve.

"Y-Yeah?" I ask, hoping she didn't notice my stuttering.

"Do you like red or blue better?" she inquires. I raise an eyebrow, though I knew nobody could see it.

"Um, red," I reply, still unsure why she asked.

"Okay, thanks!" she chirps, resuming whatever the hell she was doing. I sigh, and look up at Takumi's face. I notice that his emerald eyes are looking at me as well.

"Did I repay you well?" he whispers, and I can hear the smirk in his voice. The once fading blush now returns.

"Y-Yeah..." I mutter.

"What was that? You were too quiet," he asks in a hushed voice. I know he heard my answer the first time and he was just messing around, but I still glare at him.

"Whatever, your loss," I whisper back. He chuckles.

"Goodnight," he says quietly.

"Goodnight, alien," I respond. I feel him wrap an arm around my waist, and can't help but smile a bit. I lean my head against his chest. I close my eyes, and instantly feel very sleepy. I feel myself drift off into darkness, as his heartbeat lulls me to sleep.

* * *

Click.

What the hell is that sound...?

"Sakura, get one from this angle!"

Snap.

"Oh, look, this one turned out really well!"

I peek open one of my eyes to see- OW! What is that flashing light?!

"What the hell are you guys doing?!" I yell. Sakura giggles, phone in hand.

"Sorry, did we wake you?" she asks. "We were just taking photos of you guys~" she says, snapping another picture. I blush.

"Wha- DELETE THEM RIGHT NOW!" I demand. She pouts.

"Hey, Sakura, send them to me," I hear Takumi say. I glare at him.

"You were awake?! And you were letting them do this?!" I yell at him.

"Well, I was only half-awake," he shrugs. My glare hardens.

"Alright, alright, picture time is over," I sigh, calming down. "Lets clean up this room," I suggest. There were blankets sprawled around the room, near Sakura's blanket there were magazines, and Satsuki had... sewing equipment?

"Okie dokie!" Sakura agrees, rushing over to her pile of magazines.

"I'll get the blankets," I say. Takumi stands up and decides to help as well. I gather up all the huge blankets, and wander into the hallway. I return each blanket to its respective space.

I open a spare room to return the blanket back to its proper place, but soon notice the bed already had one. That's when realization dawns on me. Sakura planned this out all along. I smile.

Y'know, sometimes I actually appreciate Sakura and her sneaky little acts.


	11. Misaki's Rival

"Bye Sakura! Bye Satsuki! Bye Kuuga!" I call.

"Bye Misaki!" Sakura says. "I'm expecting children when you come back!" she giggles. I roll my eyes. I watch them walk off until I can't see their figures anymore.

"Misaki," I hear Takumi call. I turn to face him. Suddenly, memories of last night come flooding into my head. My face heats up.

"W-What?" I ask. He smirks.

"Why are you blushing?" he inquires innocently, although he knows perfectly well why I'm blushing.

"I-It's hot in here!" I lie, fanning my face with my hand.

"Oh? Then I take it you don't recall anything that happened last night?" he raises an eyebrow. I stare at the wall.

"N-Nothing happened last night..." I say, trying to stabilize my wavering voice.

"Well, maybe I'll just have to remind you that happened then," he says, walking towards me. I blush.

"No! I remember, I remember!" I squeak. He backs me up into a wall.

"Do you really?" he asks. I nod my head quickly. He chuckles. "Then show me," he commands.

"Well, what if I don't want to!" I protest. He grabs my wrists and pins them above my head. He brought his face closer to mine slowly, and I swear my heart was going to burst out of my chest at any moment now.

But the doorbell suddenly rang, catching both of our attentions.

"Damn it," I hear him curse under his breath. I slip out of his grip, and make my way to the front door. I unlock it and swing it open. In front of me was a blonde haired girl with pale green eyes- not quite as captivating as Takumi's, but still pretty.

"Who are you?" I ask. She glares at me.

"Does it really matter? Where's Takumi?" she snaps. I shoot a glare back at her. I didn't like this girl's attitude.

"Does it really matter?" I mock her. Just at that moment, Takumi walks over.

"Oh, Charlotte," he says. I couldn't tell if he was glad to see her or not.

"Takumi!" she squeals, her face immediately brightening up upon the sight of him. She jumps up to hug him. She's irritating.

Luckily, Takumi doesn't hug her back- oh hell no, he did not just pat her back. What the fuck, did he suddenly just forget all about me?

Why was I even getting mad over this? He could hug whoever he wanted. I just kinda thought he liked me- y'know, we shared a pretty passionate kiss last night and all.

"I'm going to bed," I say. Takumi gently pushes the girl away from him.

"It's afternoon," he states. I glare at him.

"And?" I ask. He raises an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" he asks. I just wanted to punch him in that thick head of his.

"Yeah, never been better," I reply sarcastically, stomping up the stairs.

"What's her problem?" I can hear the girl say from downstairs. Bitch, you're my problem.

I throw open my bedroom door, walk inside, and close it with a slam. I immediately dial Sakura's number. In a matter of seconds, she picks up.

"Misaki? What's up?" she asks. I frown.

"Sakura, I think I've gone crazy," I say. She giggles.

"What happened?" she inquires.

"This girl came to visit Takumi, and I don't think she's planning on leaving anytime soon," I explain. "She's all over him- and he's all over her!" I exclaim, flopping onto my bed. Sakura gasps on the other line.

"You know, the train isn't here yet... Want me to come back? I'll send the others home," she offers. I smile.

"Really? You're the best," I grin.

"I know," she replies, before hanging up.

Well, now I'd have someone to spend time with. Sakura really was a great friend.

"Misaki?" I hear a knock on my door. I sigh.

"What," I ask bitterly, phrasing my question as more of a statement. My door opens and Takumi walks in.

"Charlotte's going to be staying here for the next week," he tells me. I roll my eyes.

"Okay, and why do I care?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Just thought you'd like to know," he replies. Suddenly, he places his forehead against mine. I blush.

"What are you doing?!" I ask, shoving him away with my foot. He frowns.

"You don't have a temperature... Are you sure you're okay?" he confirms. I glare at him.

"I said yes earlier," I reply. "Get out." I command. He pouts.

"Misaki, why are you being so cold to me?" he asks, grabbing my arm. I shake his hand off.

"What do you mean?" I play dumb. He stares me in the eye.

"Misaki, I'm serious," he says. I glare at him.

"Yeah, well, I am too," I retort. He suddenly places one of his large hands on my upper back, and pushes me into his chest. He lifts my chin up with his finger, and captured my lips in his. Unlike the last kiss, this one was more needy. He shoved his lips against mine hungrily, causing a small whimper to emit from my throat.

He pulled his lips away from mine, his emerald eyes still having traces of anger in them. I was gasping for air, and I wasn't able to think straight.

"Misaki, Charlotte is a childhood friend of mine," he says. "I don't have feelings for her... I have feelings for you," he confesses. My eyes widen. Takumi likes me? And how'd he know that's what I was mad about?

"Takumi!" I hear a voice call. Of course Charlotte had to come and ruin this moment. She threw open my bedroom door, not even bothering to knock. "There you are!" she exclaims. Her expression darkens when her eyes land on me.

"What are you doing with her?" she asks bitterly, referring to me.

"Ah, Charlotte, come here," he says. I frown at how comfortable he is with her. "This is Misaki. Misaki, this is Charlotte. You two have to be nice to each other," he explains as if he were talking to children. I roll my eyes.

"Yes, Takumi!" she chirps sweetly. I sigh.

"Yeah yeah," I agree half-heartedly. If she pisses me off, I won't tolerate it.

"Okay, good," he says. Suddenly, I hear the doorbell ring. My spirits are immediately lifted, as I run downstairs. I open the door as fast as I can.

"SAAAAAKURA!" I cheer, hugging her tightly. She giggles.

"Geez, what a change of character," she jokes. She looks around to make sure nobody's eavesdropping. "Where's the wench?" she whispers.

"In my room with Takumi," I reply quietly. She glares upstairs.

"The nerve of that girl..." she mutters, following me upstairs. As expected, she was in my room. But what I was not expecting was for that girl to have her arms around Takumi's neck and for her face to be so close to his. Sakura's face instantly paled as she watched me carefully.

Honestly? I actually thought he was serious about us. I thought he actually liked me. Turns out I was completely wrong. I could feel my heart drop to my stomach. Once Takumi made eye contact with me, I saw his eyes widen.

I dashed downstairs and ran out the front door. It didn't matter to me that I was wearing an ugly baggy T-shirt with some sweatpants. I just wanted to get away from that house. I heard Sakura yelling after me, but she wasn't fast enough to keep up. What broke my heart even more was that I didn't even see Takumi run after me. Well, what did I expect?

I ran to the first place I thought of- Subaru and Erika's house. I knocked on their door, and after a few seconds, I hears a 'click' sound come from the other side. The door opened to reveal Erika.

"Can I please stay here for a while?" I ask, out of breath from all the running. She looked a bit surprised, but nonetheless, let me in.

"Of course, make yourself at home," she replies, waving me in.

"Thanks," I say gratefully. I walk inside and take a seat on their couch.

"Want to talk about what happened? You seem upset," she offers. I shake my head.

"I don't want to burden you with my problems," I decline. She nods in understanding.

"Okay. If you ever need to talk to someone, Subaru and I are always available," she tells me with a reassuring stI give her a small smile back.

"Got it," I respond.

"I'll go make some tea," she informs me, walking into the kitchen. I just sit there on the couch, thoughts racing through my head. He really didn't like me after all... Damn him. I thought those kisses meant something to him. I shudder at the thought of Charlotte's nasty lips touching Takumi's- which touched mine. Would that be like a super indirect kiss between Charlotte and I? Ew.

"Here, have some," Erika offers, setting a cup of tea in front of me on the rectangular table. "Subaru! Misaki's here!" she calls. Within a few moments, Subaru comes into the living room.

"Oh, Misaki, hey," she greets.

"Hey Subaru," I say.

"Guys, let's play The Game of Life!" Erika suggests.

"Sure," I agree.

"Alright," Subaru says.

So, we spend the rest of the day playing different board games (Subaru winning most of them) and drinking tea.

At around 10:00 P.M, we decide to head off to bed. Erika shows me to a spare bedroom, which I gladly accept. Its been a pretty long day, so I almost passed out the moment my head hit the pillow. The last image stuck in my mind was Charlotte and Takumi...

* * *

I stretch my arms and legs, feeling quite refreshed. Sadly, I had to go back to that dumb house with Takumi today, so I had to prepare myself for that.

Wait a minute, first of all, I'm not at Erika and Subaru's house anymore. And second of all, why the hell am I in Takumi's bed?!

"Takumi..." I mutter, remembering the bitter memory.

"Misaki." I hear a stern voice say back. I almost jump at the voice. I look up to see an angry Takumi standing beside the bed.

"Wha-TAKUMI? H-How'd you find me?" I stammer. That seems to piss him off more.

"I had to search for you all day, and then I find you hiding out at our neighbors' house," he replies. I bite my lower lip.

"Sorry...?" I offer, although I honestly didn't feel very sorry. He frowns.

"Misaki, sorry isn't going to cut it. Do you know how worried I was?!" he demands. I flinch slightly at his harsh tone. Why was he the angry one? I didn't do anything wrong!

"Yeah, well do you know how upset _I_ was when I saw you and Charlotte kissing?!" I retort. In an instant, he pins me down to the bed, his larger figure hovering above me.

"We were not kissing!" he defends. I glare at him.

"What, now you're calling me a liar?" I accuse. "I saw it with my own two eyes, Takumi!" I say, trying to kick him with one of my feet, but they were trapped between his knees.

"Misaki, I already told you this! I don't like her!" he yells, exasperated. I squirm in his grip.

"Well, you lied to me then!" I yell back. He gripped my wrists tighter.

"I wouldn't ever lie to you! Why the hell would you think such a thing?" he asks.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I watched you kiss her behind my back?! I don't think I was _hallucinating_!" I reply sarcastically.

"Why do you think so lowly of Charlotte?" he asks. I grit my teeth. Here we go again, it's all about Charlotte. He doesn't even consider my feelings.

"Right there! That's why!" I reply. He looks confused.

"What?" he says, his grip on my wrists loosening. I began to feel a bit emotional. My eyes stung with unshed tears.

"Y-You only think about her! I actually thought you liked me- I was so stupid! I thought the past couple weeks we spent here together meant something to you! I thought the past two kisses we've shared meant something to you!" I spill out all my thoughts and feelings I've had for the past day. I felt a warm liquid roll down my cheeks, but I ignored it. "I-I thought I meant something to you..." I sniff, beginning to feel a bit silly. Why did I tell him all that? It's not like he'd care...

I tried to see his expression through my blurred vision, but I couldn't. All I felt was warmth. Warm arms embracing me. It was really comforting, especially since this is the moment I've been longing for ever since I saw that scene yesterday.

"Misaki, you do mean something to me. I sent Charlotte away after that misunderstanding, so no, I don't only think about her. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have spent hours searching for you to bring you home," he says. I feel him wipe my tears away with his thumbs, and I suddenly feel much better. His words were reassuring, and I was glad to know Charlotte was gone.

"I was aware of Charlotte's feelings for me, but I didn't know she would try and hurt your feelings," he admits. I smile a bit at that. "Misaki, I like you," he confesses once again. My heart skips a beat. "Do you like me?" he asks. My hands suddenly get cold and clammy as I grow nervous. Crap, what do I say?! How do I not sound awkward and stuff...

"I-I think so..." I reply. I wasn't ready to give him a straightforward answer yet. Luckily, he seems satisfied with that answer for now.

"You're too cute," he chuckles, brushing my bangs upwards to plant a small kiss on my forehead.


	12. Confession Countdown

"Misaki!" I hear Sakura call. She must've woken up. She slams open Takumi's door and stomps in. "Where did you run off to?!" she asks.

"Um, I went to Erika and Subaru's house for a while," I reply. She rolls her eyes.

"Geez, don't worry us like that ever again," she sighs. "Anyway, Charlotte's gone now," she smiles. I can't help but smile as well.

"Oh, Misaki, can I talk to you?" Sakura asks. I nod, and proceed to get out of bed, but Takumi grabs my wrist. Sakura glares at him. "Privately," she adds. Takumi sighs and hesitantly loosens his grip enough so I can slip my wrist out of his hand. I rush into my bedroom with Sakura.

"What's up?" I inquire.

"Have you told Takumi that you like him yet?" she asks. I blush.

"W-What?! How'd you-"

"Misaki, everyone knows. You make it really obvious," she cuts me off. "So, back to the question. Have you?"

"No," I admit. "I'm planning to... I just don't know when," I confess. She grins.

"Great! Misaki, in four days, there's a festival! You should go with Takumi and confess your feelings to him there!" she suggests. I think about it for a moment.

"That's a pretty good idea," I agree.

"Obviously, because I thought of it," she responds shamelessly. I roll my eyes.

"Real modest," I say sarcastically.

* * *

"Hey Erika," I greet. She gives me a wide grin.

"Hey Misaki! Sorry we let Takumi take you," she apologizes. I shake my head.

"No no, we sorted it out. Thank you," I dismiss. "Anyway, do you guys happen to have a dress that I could wear to that festival on Thursday?" I ask. Erika's eyes light up.

"Oh! You need a kimono for the Nebuta Matsuri?" she gasps. "I have a beautiful one! Wait here," she says. I watch her run off into her house, and about a minute later, she returns with a box in her hands.

"Here, I hope it fits," she grins. I give her a smile.

"Thank you- oh, you have one to wear too, right?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"Subaru and I weren't planning to go this year," she assures me, placing the box in my hands.

"Are you sur-"

"Misaki, I said it's okay. Enjoy yourself! Oh, and keep the kimono as a souvenir," she says.

"Okay," I give in, deciding not to argue anymore. "Thank you very much!" I bow.

"Nonsense, it's the least I could do for a friend," she laughs.

"I'm off," I say, saluting to her. She playfully salutes me back, and I begin to walk back home.

* * *

"Wow..." I gasp, pulling out the kimono Erika gave me.

"Wow indeed," Sakura agrees, running her finger along the silk fabric. "This must've cost a fortune!" she giggles. I nod.

It was dark red, with little orange and blue flowers embroidered all over the dress. Unlike most traditional kimonos, it ended around my lower-thigh and puffed out a bit at the bottom. It had a white bow on the back, and the sleeves were long and flowy. It was a very beautiful kimono.

"Misaki?" Takumi calls from the other side of the door. I quickly shove the kimono back into its box and hide it in the closet.

"Yeah?" I ask. He opens the door and walks in.

"I'm bored," he pouts. I roll my eyes.

"Then go find something to do," I say.

"But I want to spend time with you..." he insists. Sakura squeals.

"Well, Misaki, I think it's time for me to depart. See you back at home in a month and a half," she announces.

"Aww... Bye, Sakura!" I wave goodbye. She waves at me, and walks out of my room. Takumi and I sit in silence for a few moments, before I decide to break it.

"Um, Takumi," I say.

"Hmm?" he inquires. I take a deep breath in.

"Uh, there's this festival, and- um, it's next Thursday," I stammer. "And I was wondering if you w-wanted to go with me...?" I finish awkwardly. He smiles.

"Aww, is Misaki asking me on a date?" he teases. I punch him gently in the arm.

"Do you want me to take it back?" I threaten. He raises his hands up in surrender and chuckles.

"Of course I'll go with you," he grins. A small smile makes its way onto my face. I was going to confess my feelings to him in four days.

* * *

 **Monday**

Takumi and I decide to stay home and watch a non-scary movie this time. He chooses a romance movie this time, and I was actually looking forward to it. Yeah, I enjoyed romance movies like most typical girls.

I sat there and watched the movie for a good half hour with Takumi, before a scene comes on where the main character leads his girlfriend into a broom closet and starts making out with her. The girl kept making these weird moaning noises that honestly scarred me for life.

My face lights up bright red as I cover my eyes with my hands. Sadly, the noises were still disturbing me.

"Takumi, cover my ears for me please," I ask. He chuckles, and instead just turns the movie off.

"You're so innocent," he teases.

"Well, we can't all be perverts like you," I joke. He laughs.

It appears we don't have much luck with movies, so instead we decided to go upstairs and play Chess.

* * *

 **Tuesday**

Today, Takumi decided to give me cooking lessons. I just hope I don't burn the kitchen down...

"Okay, we're going to make chocolate chip cookies," he says. I frown and shake my head.

"Too complicated," I remark. He raises an eyebrow.

"They're really not," he tries to convince me. I laugh.

"You overestimate my cooking abilities," I say. "My mom banned me from turning on anything that cooked when I lived with her- including the toaster and microwave." I explain, smiling at the old memories. Speaking of, I should really go visit her after we return home.

"Okay, how about a grilled cheese sandwich?" he suggests.

"No," I reject once again.

"Well, what do you want to learn how to make then?" he asks. I think about it for a moment.

"Toast," I reply. He looks confused.

"Toast?" he asks.

"Toast." I repeat firmly. Why was that so unbelievable?

"Okay..." he says, clearing his throat. "First you grab a piece of bread, like so," he instructs, grabbing a slice of bread. I also grab a slice.

"Now what?" I ask.

"Guess," he says, amusement evident in his voice. I take up the challenge, and look around the kitchen. Eventually, I point at the toaster.

"Toaster has the word 'toast' in it," I explain. Takumi starts laughing really hard. I can see his eyes visibly start to tear up due to his laughter. I give him a look of confusion. What was so funny?

"Correct," he answers after his laughter dies down. "Next, place the toast into one of the slots," he explains, dropping his slice of bread into one of the toaster slots. I do the same, copying exactly what he did.

"Did I do it right?" I ask, making sure my bread was lined up perfectly in the slot. He chuckles.

"Yes yes," he replies. "Now, push this down," he instructs, guiding one of my fingers over to a black peg. I push down on it, and I see the inside of the toaster glow orange.

"Yay, all done," I grin, raising my hand in the air for a high five. He laughs at my childishness, but gives me a high five nonetheless.

We waited about a minute or two, then I heard a 'pop' sound.

"That sound means the toast is done," he tells me. I grin. I hope it turned out well!

Takumi takes the two slices of toast out, and I gape in horror.

"How the hell?! We cooked them exactly the same way!" I yell in disbelief.

"Maybe cooking's just not your thing?" he suggests.

My toast was a charcoal black color, while his was perfectly toasted with a crispy light brown layer.

"But-HOW?! They were from the same bread loaf, toasted in the same toaster, at the same time, at the same heat! YOU SABOTAGED MINE!" I accuse.

"Now now Misaki, don't be a poor sport," he says. I glare at him.

"How can I even be a poor sport about toast?!" I retort.

"Just calm down and leave the cooking to me," he chuckles. I stick my tongue out at him.

After that incident, I finally give up learning how to cook.

* * *

 **Wednesday**

I was relaxing on a soft couch in the library- oh, our villa had a nice library with tons of books in it by the way- searching tips on how to confess your love to someone.

All would've been well if a certain perverted alien didn't walk into the library at that very moment.

Quickly, I turn my screen off and drop my phone onto the couch. I jump up and grab a random book off the bookshelf, and return to my spot on the couch. As expected, Takumi sits right beside me.

"What's up?" he asks.

"Just reading a book," I reply casually with a shrug, setting the book down. He raises an eyebrow.

"Uh, and why of all books did you decide to read this one?" he inquires, picking up the book and showing me the cover. I freeze. 'Sex Positions 101' was what the book was called. Why the hell did Director Hirayama even have that in this library?!

"I-I was not reading that, pervert!" I protest, smacking the book out of his hand and onto the floor.

"Oh really? But you just said-"

"FORGET WHAT I JUST SAID GODDAMMIT, I AM NOT A PERVERT LIKE YOU!" I interrupt him. He chuckles.

"So, you're hiding something from me," he states. It wasn't a question- he already knew something was up. I bite my lip. I can't spoil the surprise now when it was only a day away!

"No, I'm not hiding anything," I defend. He sighs.

"So you really are a perv-"

"I AM NOT! Shut up," I glare at him. He looked pretty damn amused by now.

"Did you want to try some of these?" he asks, picking up the book from the floor and flipping through the pages. I take the book from him and tear the thin book easily in half.

"NO! You are not allowed to touch me for a week!" I conclude.

"Oh? So I can touch you after the week is over?" he asks. I swear I just wanted to rub that stupid smirk off his face.

"D-Don't talk to me," I say, my face bright red by now. I throw the torn book into the garbage can. I'm sure Director Hirayama would be grateful that I destroyed such an impure book for him.

"What a waste," he remarks, trying to guess the password on my phone.

"He wouldn't have had any use for that disgusting thing anyway," I respond, snatching my phone out of his grasp. He sighs.

"You're so innocent, it's cute," he chuckles. I roll my eyes at him.

"Stop calling me cute..." I murmur.


	13. Missed Dates Lead to New Friends

**Thursday**

Today was the day. I was going to tell Takumi I liked him!

I shoved the box with the kimono in it into my bag, and walked out of my bedroom.

"Takumi, I'm going to Erika and Subaru's house," I call. "I'll meet you at the festival right near the fountain!" I say. I already gave him all the other information about the festival earlier.

"Okay, have fun," I hear him call back. I grin, and happily jump down the stairs. I was in a great mood today.

I walked quickly to Erika and Subaru's house, wanting to tell them all about my exciting plan. Once I arrived in front of their door, I gave it three quick knocks. The door opened shortly after.

"Ah, Misaki! What's up?" she asks.

"Can you help me put this on?" I request, holding out the box. Honestly, I've never worn a kimono in my life, so I didn't know how to put it on.

"Of course! Come in in," she welcomes me. I walk in, and hand her the box. She pulls out the beautiful silk dress and unfolds it.

"So, are you going with someone.?" she asks me. I laugh.

"Of course. I'm going with Takumi," I respond. She smiles.

"Are you two officially dating now?" she inquires. I shake my head.

"No, but today at the festival I'm going to confess my feelings for him," I grin.

"Oh, wow! Really? I wish you the best of luck!" she encourages me. "Now, get changed into this. I'll tie the back for you," she suggests, handing the kimono to me and pointing in the direction of her bathroom.

"Thanks Erika," I say gratefully, walking into the bathroom and locking the door behind me. I quickly change into the red kimono, also slipping on some black leggings and matching red flats. I make my way back to the living room where Erika was waiting for me.

"You look gorgeous," she compliments, tying the ribbon on the back of my dress.

"Thanks," I smile.

"Can I do your hair?" she asks. I nod in approval. She scurries around the room to grab a hair tie and a few bobby-pins. Erika grabs my hair and twists it up onto a traditional bun, shoving the bobby-pins into my hair to keep it in place.

"There. Perfect," she says, taking a step back to admire her work. I giggle.

"Thank you so much, Erika!" I exclaim. She shakes her head.

"It's honestly my pleasure. Here, let me walk you to the festival. It starts in about an hour, right?" she offers.

"Ah, no, it's quite alri-"

"Misaki, how would Takumi react if you got hurt? It's pretty dark out already," she reasons. I sigh in defeat, knowing she was right.

"Okay, fine. But once we get there you can leave me- I'll be perfectly fine," I say.

"Alright, alright," she says, laughing. "Subaru! I'm going to drop Misaki off for the Nebuta Matsuri!" she calls.

"Okay," Subaru replies from another room. Erika leaves the house without another word and locks it behind her. We begin our journey towards town.

"Misaki?" she asks.

"What's up?" I inquire.

"When did you realize your feelings towards Takumi?" she wonders. I ponder upon that question for a moment. When did I realize I liked him...?

"Well, you know me and my personality," I laugh. "I probably liked him but denied it for a while," I reply honestly. "But when Charlotte came to visit, I think that's when I was certain I liked him," I conclude. She gives me a confused look.

"Who's Charlotte?" she asks. I frown.

"Ah, she was one of Takumi's childhood friends," I reply. "She was really possessive over him and liked him a lot," I say bitterly, remembering how she tried to kiss him. "And... I-I got a little jealous," I admit. She giggles.

"Is that when you came over to our house for the night?" she questions. I nod.

"Yeah, I caught her at the wrong moment," I say. "It was a misunderstanding," I reply with a shrug.

"Makes sense," she says in understanding. "Oh, we shouldn't be too far away from town by now! I can see the lights," she exclaims, pointing ahead. I look at the direction her finger's pointing in and gasp. It was beautiful.

There were red, blue, yellow, green, purple, pink, and orange lights. It was so colorful. I loved it. I began to sprint as fast as I could, and luckily this was a very versatile dress so I could move my legs freely in it. I heard Erika calling for me, but I couldn't stop myself. The wind against my face was thrilling and I found my excitement growing as the lights got closer and closer. Eventually, I stopped running. Yeah, even I could get tired at times too, believe it or not.

"Mi-sa-ki," Erika says weakly, panting. She bends over and places her hands on her knees. I smile sheepishly.

"Sorry?" I offer. She laughs a bit.

"You're fast," she comments.

"I did lots of sports in high school," I reply with a shrug. She smiles weakly.

"It obviously paid off," she remarks. I smile when I notice our surroundings. We were here. We were at town. I was going to meet Takumi and have a great time with him. Everything was going to be perfect.

"Thanks for walking me here," I say gratefully. "It's a long walk home, so I'm sorry," I apologize. She waves it off.

"No no, it's nothing. Think of it as me repaying you for all the fun times you shared with Subaru and I," she grins. A small smile creeps onto my face. Fun times. I made friends here. And I was about to have my first boyfriend here.

"T-Thank you for being my friend," I say, my voice wavering a bit. I was feeling pretty emotional right now. She pats my shoulder.

"Misaki, don't cry. You have over a month here still. We'll visit you from time to time even afterwards, okay?" she comforts me. I nod. "Also, we'll see you on TV all the time," she laughs.

"You know I'm an actress?" I ask. She scoffs.

"Duh! You're famous, Misaki! Also, Director Hirayama informed us before he sent you guys here," she giggles. "Anyway, I'll be heading back now. Enjoy your night, and good luck!" she says with a grin, before spinning on her heel and walking back to her house.

I look around and admire the town- but not too much. I could always admire it after I find Takumi. I head over to the large fountain in the middle of town, which was pretty empty. I take a seat on the concrete ledge it had, and wait there. I check the time on my watch. It read '8:09'. Okay, so he wasn't even that late. It only started 9 minutes ago. I'll be patient.

* * *

I glance at my watch only to see the numbers '8:20' flash up at me. Well, he could be late. It was almost an hour walk from our home to here. I wouldn't blame him for being a bit late.

Just to be sure I didn't miss him, I circle around the fountain once, only to see no sign of Takumi. Well, I'll wait a little longer...

* * *

9:40. It was fucking 9:40 at night, and he still wasn't here. Did he forget about me? Maybe Charlotte came back and he was busy with her? I clench my fists. He wouldn't do that do me... Would he...?

"Hey," I hear someone say. Almost instantly, I turn around hopefully to face the person who spoke.

"Takumi?" I ask. Disappointment fills me when I see a boy with lime green hair standing in front of me.

"Sorry I'm not who you're waiting for," he says dully. "You looked upset- I just wanted to make sure you were okay," the man says.

"Oh- thank you... I'm fine," I assure him. He frowns.

"You've been staring there for the past hour and a half," he states.

"And you've been watching me?" I accuse. He shakes his head.

"I just noticed you there for a while. C'mon, you should have fun at the Nebuta Matsuri," he says in an attempt to cheer me up. Obviously, he had noticed the sadness in my eyes.

I don't respond to him, and instead just look away from him. He sighs, and walks up to me. Catching me off guard, he grabs my wrist and drags me off somewhere.

"Hey! What are you-"

"Can we get a lantern?" he asks an older lady, cutting me off.

"Sure," she replies, grabbing one and handing it over to the man. "Oh, who's the girl, Tora?" she asks. He shrugs.

"Found her near the fountain," he replies curtly, carrying the lantern in one hand. The lady giggles.

"Take care," she dismisses us.

"Tora, where are we going?!" I demand.

"How do you know my name?" He asks.

"The lady said it," I respond, rolling my eyes.

"Oh. Anyway, you'll see where we're going," he says, leading me somewhere. I find him bringing me up a cliff, and suddenly wonder if I should be trusting this person I just met.

"Err- what are we doing on a cliff?" I ask suspiciously. "You better as hell not throw me off," I warn. He laughs.

"Throw you off? Where'd you get that ridiculous idea from?" he smirks. "Hold out your hands," he instructs. I do as he says. "Now, write a wish on the lantern," he says, handing me a black sharpie.

"A wish?" I repeat. He nods. I tap the sharpie cap on my chin in thought. Suddenly, an idea comes to my head. I quickly scribble my wish into the lantern and recap the sharpie. I face my wish away from him.

"What'd you write?" he asks.

"Not telling," I reply with a smirk of my own. He frowns, but doesn't bother me about it. He pulls out a box of matches and lights one. He sets the metal ring (or whatever they're called) on fire, and the lantern suddenly feels lighter.

"Release it," he tells me. I walk closer to the edge of the cliff and I let go of the lantern. I watch as it floats into the night sky. It flies over the sea below, and I just stare in awe. It was such a magical moment... I only wish Takumi was there to experience it with me.

"Wow..." I say breathlessly.

"What's your name?" he suddenly asks. I snap back into reality.

"Oh, me?"

"No, the other person," he rolls his eyes sarcastically. "Yes you,"

"Ah, sorry. My name is Misaki Ayuzawa," I introduce. His eyes widen.

"As in the actress?" he asks.

"Yeah..." I reply hesitantly, hoping he wouldn't treat me any differently now. He smiles.

"Good to know. I was starting to think you were lost or homeless sitting next to that fountain for so long," he sighs. I laugh.

"When did homeless people wear such nice clothing?" I joke, gesturing toward my outfit. He shrugs.

"I don't know. All I'm saying is it's reassuring," he responds. "I'm Tora Igarashi, by the way," he says.

"Well then, Tora, thank you for letting me have fun tonight," I grin. "You really cheered me up," I admit. He smiles.

"I'm glad. Not to be blunt or anything, but did someone stand you up?" he asks. I tense up at the question.

"Uh- yes and no? Kinda, but I know he must've had a good reason for it," I confess.

"That sucks," he says. I nod in agreement. I check the time on my watch and it says '10:20'.

"I should really head back now," I say apologetically. "Once again, thank you so much," I thank him.

"No problem. Maybe you'll come back for the next Nebuta Matsuri?" he inquires hopefully.

"Of course I will!" I exclaim. "I'll go now-"

"Misaki, let me walk you back home," he says, grabbing my arm to stop me from walking off. "Do you live far?" he asks. I nod.

"Almost an hour walk," I frown.

"Crap. I have to be home soon as well..." he sighs. "Do you live with anyone?" he questions. I nod.

"The guy I was supposed to be with here tonight," I say. I can't help but notice his face drop a bit when I say that.

"Ah... Why don't you call him?" he suggests. I sigh, knowing that was probably the best option. Pulling out my phone, I find 'Takumi Usui' in my contacts. I press his number and hit 'call'.

After about five rings, he finally picks up.

"Misaki?" he asks weakly. My eyes widen at his raspy voice.

"Are you okay?!" I ask immediately, obviously concerned. What the hell happened?

"Nothing... I just have a cold. I tried to get you from Erika's house before you left but-" he moves his phone away from his face to cough a few times, but I can still hear it. "But you already left," he says, his voice still sounding awful. I really didn't want to ask him for any favors right now while he was in such a condition...

"Oh, okay. I'll head back home now. Take some medicine and rest-"

"Don't. Wait for me- I'm almost there," he says. My eyes widen once again at this.

"You idiot! Why are you even outside in your condition?!" I yell.

"It's not even that bad. Also, where are you?" he asks.

"On a cliff," I reply, noting how weird that sounded out of context. "I lit a lantern," I quickly explain.

"Okay... Meet me at the fountain," he says hoarsely.

"Got it... I'll be there soon. Bye," I respond, hanging up.

"He's at the fountain," I tell Tora. He nods.

"I'll walk you there," he offers.

"Thanks," I say. We walk back the direction we came from, and I walk really fast. I wanted him to get back home and rest as soon as possible.

When I could see his figure sitting on the fountain ledge, I started running involuntarily.

"Takumi!" I yell. He looks over at me. I run up to him and sit beside him. "Are you okay?" I ask, placing my hand on his forehead. He had a temperature.

"Yeah..." he replies, giving me a reassuring smile, though it only made me worry more. "Who's he...?" he asks, pointing at Tora who was standing right behind me.

"Ah... He's a friend," I reply.

"He's the one who stood you up?" Tora asks bitterly. I glare at him.

"Stood you up? I've been trying to get a hold of you the entire night," Takumi asks me accusingly.

"I know, it's fine-"

"No, it's not! You made Misaki wait almost two hours for you-"

"TORA! IT WASN'T HIS FAULT!" I snap. Takumi and Tora both look at me in surprise. I blush. "H-He's sick," I calmly explain.

"Sorry," Tora mutters, shooting a glare at Takumi. Takumi gives Tora a glare of his own. I sigh.

"Takumi, you're sick. Lets go home before you get worse, okay?" I say, still concerned about his temperature. I stand up and start to walk away, but Takumi possessively wraps his arms around my waist.

"Takumi!" I hiss. He rests his chin on my shoulder, and gives Tora a dirty look. I try to pry his hands off me, but it works to no avail.

"Tch. Whatever. Visit sometime, will ya, Misaki?" he dismisses Takumi's childish behavior.

"Of course. Thank you, bye," I say quickly, walking forwards slowly, Takumi still stubbornly clinging onto my waist. I watch Tora's retreating figure, and when he's out of sight, I push Takumi off of me.

"Jesus! Be more mature, would you?" I scold him. He frowns.

"Were you with him for the night...?" he asks, a bit of anger evident in his voice.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter right now! Takumi, you're burning up!" I exclaim. I grab his hand and pull him along. "Hurry up," I say. He chuckles.

"Misaki cares about me..." he grins. I roll my eyes.

"Of course I care about you, idiot," I sigh. "Let's get home..." I mutter, trying to walk as fast as I could.


	14. Sick

**Hey! Thank you to everyone for your encouraging reviews, they make me really happy when I read them!**

 **Anyway, I'm making a new story called Law's Affair, and the first chapter will be out very soon, so I'd love it if you guys gave that a read!**

 **Also, for anyone who enjoyed Secrets of a Slave, don't worry I am NOT abandoning that story! I have a few ideas for it, but I haven't gotten to it yet.**

 **Without further ado, Chapter 14 ladies and gents.**

* * *

"We're finally home..." I sigh, exasperated. "Takumi...?" I ask. When I turn to face him, I notice he was sweating a ton and he looked like he was about to pass out any second now.

"You look beautiful today... Misaki..." he murmurs, before collapsing. I gasp in surprise and catch him before he hits the ground, but due to his much larger and heavier figure than mine, he ends up just landing on top of me.

"Takumi!" I exclaim, starting to panic. I gently push his body off mine, and run to grab some things.

I return to him with a basin of cold water and some medicine. I soaked a cloth in the water and wrung it out, before folding it neatly and letting it rest on Takumi's forehead. His eyes remained closed, and I was now freaking out. What if he never opened his eyes again?!

"I-I'm sorry... It-It's all my fault you're like this!" I choke out. I feel my eyes grow wet, and quickly look up at the ceiling and blink a few times to try and get rid of the unshed tears. The last thing I needed was for him to worry about me.

Unfortunately, I felt a familiar liquid stream down my cheeks despite my attempts. I felt so useless right now. An unconscious Takumi was in front of me, and I had no idea what to do about it!

"Misaki..." I hear him mutter. I stare at him, wide-eyed. "Don't cry... I'm fine..." he says with a weak smile, as he brings one of his thumbs up to my cheek and wipes my tears away.

"M-Medicine," I tell him, picking up the small bottle. I twist open the cap and pour two pills out. I grab a cup of cold water as well. "S-Sit up," I instruct weakly, my voice still unsteady from the crying. He complies and sits so he can take the medicine. I pass him the pills, and he throws them into his mouth.

"Drink..." I mumble, bringing the glass of water up to his lips with my shaky hands. He looks a bit surprised, but parts his lips slightly nonetheless. I tip the glass to allow him to drink some of the cool liquid.

"I have enough strength to walk to my room," he tells me, standing up. I immediately jump up and sling one of his arms around my shoulder. I didn't want him collapsing on me again.

I guide him up the staircase slowly, praying he could make it to his bedroom. Once we reach the top of the stairs, I sigh in relief. I lead him to his room, and once we successfully get inside, I let him lie down on his bed.

"You idiot..." I mumble. "Stay here," I say, running downstairs to receive the basin, medicine, and a thermometer. I rub at my tear-stained cheeks with my sleeve before going back upstairs with the supplies in hand. I turn on the thermometer and hand it to him.

"Here," I offer, holding out the thermometer. He takes it and puts it in his mouth. I sigh, throwing the soaked cloth back into the basin and wringing it out once again. I hear the 'beep' sound of the thermometer, and so I go to check what it is. Unfortunately, it was still around 101 degrees (Fahrenheit), so I decided against going to bed, although my body was begging for sleep.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask, laying the damp cloth on his forehead.

"For the most part, yes," he replies, his voice still sounding a bit off. "But don't worry, I'll get better in no time. After all, I'm an alien, aren't I?" he laughs weakly.

"Still joking even in this condition... you really are an alien," I scoff, a faint smile on my face. I suddenly let out a loud yawn, which causes Takumi to look at me. He frowns.

"Misaki, you should go to bed," he says. I shake my head.

"You're sick," I argue. "I'm not going to leave you while you're like this..."

"Fine, don't leave then. Sleep right by me," he smirks, rolling over to one side of the bed in order to make room for me. I blush profusely.

"No way!" I exclaim, placing my hand over my face to try and hide the blush.

"Don't be embarrassed, it's not like we haven't slept together in the past," he teases.

"Shut up! How can you be so annoying when you're sick?!" I fume. I sigh, and lean over him. I try to place one of my hands on his forehead to check his temperature, which would've worked successfully for anyone else, but since I'm clumsy I slipped and fell on top of him.

"Wow Misaki, how bold," he says plainly. I glare at him.

"I fell," I reply sharply, lifting one of my hands up to his forehead. His temperature definitely decreased, but it was still there. I try to push myself up off of him, but he grabs my wrist and drags me back onto the bed. He shifts me so I'm laying beside him, and he has one of his arms around my waist.

"Sleep," he commands gently, threading his fingers through my hair soothingly.

"But-"

"Shh..." he whispers, pulling me closer towards him. I melt against his touch, but try and keep my strong façade. I can feel his abnormally hot body temperature against mine, but I choose not to say anything about it. Call me selfish if you will, but I was too comfortable to let anything ruin this moment.

"Goodnight..." I murmur, stifling a yawn. He nuzzles his chin against the top of my head.

"Sleep tight," he says, smoothing my hair down a few times, before his hand goes limp against my head. He must've fallen asleep.

Deciding he was fine for now, I allow myself to relax and go to bed.

* * *

I wake up to emptiness. Takumi was no longer beside me, and I find myself sighing in disappointment.

"Ah, you're up," I hear a voice say. I look to my right and see Takumi with a towel wrapped only around his waist. My face instantly heats up as I throw the sheets above my head to get rid of the view.

"P-Put on some cl-clothes!" I stutter, desperately trying to get that image out of my head. His body was pretty nice, I had to admit- STOP IT, MISAKI!

"Alright alright, don't look," he chuckles. "Unless you want to, I wouldn't mind," he adds. I blush even redder, but luckily he can't see it since I'm under the covers. I hear him open a few drawers and close them.

My heart started racing, as strange thoughts ran through my head. The guy I liked was literally naked in the same room as me. And I was just laying here hiding myself from him.

All of a sudden, a loud growling noise filled the silent room. It only took me a few seconds to realize it was my stomach that made the very unattractive sound. Y'know, sometimes I wish the ground would just open up and swallow me whole.

"Someone's hungry," he teases, and I can practically hear the annoying smirk in his voice.

"S-Shut up! I skipped dinner last night," I say in my defense, throwing the blankets off my face. Fortunately, he was fully clothed and stared at me with a dead-serious look on his face.

"You didn't eat last night?" he repeats. Ah, shit.

"Uhhhh... Maybe?" I reply with a sheepish smile. He runs his fingers through his messy blonde hair with a sigh. "You were sick... I didn't want to leave you," I timidly admit. Just to make sure he was fine, I placed my palm against his forehead. I sigh in relief when I notice it's back to its normal temperature. He smiles a bit at that.

"You're too considerate," he says. "Let's go downstairs. I'll make you something," he offers. I nod.

"Sounds good to me," I agree, following him downstairs.

* * *

"Hey, Takumi, want to go for a walk?" I ask. We already ate breakfast, and I was pretty bored. He spins around in his chair to face me.

"Sure," he replies. "I'll get ready and meet you downstairs," he tells me.

"Okay," I respond, closing his door and heading back to my room. I throw on a dark red sweatshirt with some black skinny jeans. I put on my typical white converse and make my way downstairs. Surprisingly, Takumi is already there waiting for me.

"How'd you get ready so fast?" I question. He shrugs.

"Alien powers?" he offers. I laugh. He chuckles as well.

"Wanna go into town? It's beautiful," I suggest. He nods.

"Sure. I didn't get to enjoy it much last time, but I'm sure you did with that green haired bastard..." he says, his tone getting darker each word he speaks. I frown.

"It would've been a lot better with you there," I say in an attempt to cheer him up, but it only makes him more upset.

"So you did have fun," he says. It wasn't a question- it was a statement.

"No- well, yes," I admit. "But I was thinking about you the entire time!" I blurt out. My hands immediately shoot up to my mouth and cover it before I say anything else stupid and embarrassing. Takumi turns to me and smirks.

"Aww, Misaki was thinking about me?" he teases. Seriously, what the hell was up with this guy?! Was he bipolar or something? He was sad just a second ago and now he's teasing me!

"Actually, forget I said anything," I blush, trying to avert my gaze from his.

"Alright, alright, you said nothing," he laughs. "But really, that boy was very... possessive over you," he says.

"Says the one who wrapped his arms around me and refused to let go," I scoff. "I seriously can't believe you have the nerve to call anyone else 'possessive' after that," I mutter. He grins at the memory.

"That's different. He's a stranger, I'm not," he reasons. I frown.

"Tora is not a stranger, he's my friend!" I say defensively. He raises an eyebrow.

"Is that what he thinks too? Or does he think he's something more?" he proceeds to question me further. I sigh.

"Takumi, he knows I live with you..." I pout.

"And why would that stop him from making moves on you, my naïve Misaki?" he inquires. I open my mouth to speak, but close it again. Damn, he got me. He smirks.

"That's what I thought. Maybe I should mark you to show the whole world you're mine...?" he whispers huskily, leaning over and planting small butterfly kisses down my jawline. My eyes widen and my legs suddenly feel weak.

"Ta-Takumi," I say breathlessly, trying to shove him away from me with shaky arms. Suddenly, he nips at some of the flesh on my neck. My knees give in, and if it weren't for Takumi's strong arm around my waist, I would've fallen.

"So you're sensitive right here?" he muses. My face must be the color of a tomato by all the blushing I've done by now.

"N-No," I lie, only to receive another gentle nip on my neck. I whimper in pleasure, grabbing onto the front of his shirt. He chuckles at this.

"You lied to me," he says, giving the same spot he bit on my neck a kiss. He pulls away from me, and unlocks the front door. "I'll punish you for that later- but for now, we should go on our walk," he smirks. I blush even more.

"I- you- UGH!" I stutter in frustration, grabbing my purse and stomping out the door.

"Misaki, wait up~" he calls in a singy-songy voice. I ignore him and instead pick up my pace. Stupid Takumi, making my heart race like this...

Is this what they call love?


	15. Disrupted Date

Takumi and I arrived at the city in about an hour, leaving us with almost the entire day to spend together here.

"Takumi," I call.

"Hmm?" he inquires.

"Can we get ice cream?" I ask, pointing at a nearby ice cream stand.

"Of course," he replies with a smile, placing his hand on my head. I blush and walk towards the stand with him following right behind.

"Hello, what would you like?" the lady at the stand asks. I couldn't help but notice that she only looked at Takumi as she asked that.

"Hi, I'd like a-" I try to speak, only to be rudely interrupted by the lady.

"Please wait your turn," she says to me with a sickeningly sweet smile. I frown and look up at Takumi who was glaring at the lady.

"Actually, she's with me," Takumi chimes in.

"Oh, siblings?" the ice cream stand lady asks in an attempt to give herself hope. Takumi shakes his head.

"She's my girlfriend," he says, possessively wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him. I blush at the affectionate gesture, but mainly at the fact that he just called me his girlfriend. "One scoop of mocha almond fudge ice cream please," he requests. I stare at him, my mouth agape.

"H-How did you know-"

"I'm an alien, remember?" he jokes with a boyish grin. I can't contain the smile that breaks out onto my face from his words.

"Indeed," I respond with a laugh.

"Here's your ice cream," the lady says, a bit dejected. I take the ice cream from her hand and try to pay her, but Takumi pulls my hand back. He pulls out his wallet instead and hands her a $2 bill.

"You didn't have to do that," I whisper to him, as we walk down the street.

"I just wanted to be a gentleman," he responds with a cheeky smile. I scoff.

"When are you ever a gentleman..." I murmur, taking a lick of the ice cream. "Oh, where's yours?" I ask.

"I'm going to share with you, of course," he says. He leans over and takes a lick of my ice cream in the exact same spot I ate from. My face instantly heats up.

"Y-You-"

"Why are you embarrassed about an indirect kiss? We've kissed plenty of times before," he teases with a smirk. My face turns a darker shade of red at that comment.

"Plenty?! Only twice!" I argue. He chuckles.

"Three times if you count this morning," he responds promptly.

"No way! That was on the neck, not lips!" I retort, blushing profusely once I realize what I actually said.

"Still a kiss," he says with a smirk. He leans down towards me, and I can feel his hot breath against my cheek.

"T-Takumi?" I stutter, as he proceeds to get even closer to my face. Instinctively, I close my eyes, since I knew he was going to kiss me...

But instead I feel the cone in my hand move as he takes another chunk out of the frozen treat. My eyes snap open immediately, and I see Takumi staring at me with an amused look on his face. My lips curve into a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" he asks innocently.

"Nothing," I reply, taking a lick of the ice cream right where he bit some off. It was the closest thing I'd get to a kiss without throwing away my pride. This, however, doesn't go unnoticed by Takumi.

"You really are too cute," he says. I look up to see his expression, only to have soft lips crushed against mine. He tasted like ice cream- and I'm sure I did too. Takumi's larger hand secured the cone in mine, which I would've dropped if it weren't for him.

I squeezed his free hand to let him know I needed to breathe. After a couple more seconds, he pulled away from the kiss, leaving me gasping for air.

"If you ever want a kiss, just tell me directly," he says with a smirk. My face was bright red, and I'm not sure if it was from the lack of air or the fact that he just kissed me in public in front of everyone to see.

"B-but that's too embarrassing..." I mutter, wiping my glossy lips with my sleeve.

"Not a problem. I can read Misaki-chan like a book," he teases. "Now, let's continue this date," he says with an annoying grin. I blush.

"IT'S NOT A DATE!"

* * *

"Woah- Takumi, look at this one!" I exclaim, pointing to a silver and black fish. I bend down to get a better view of it. "So pretty..."

"That's a Banggai Cardinal," he says, bending down beside me.

"Really? Then, what's this one?" I ask, placing my finger in front of a dark orange fish with blue stripes.

"That one's a Catalina Goby," he replies instantly. I nod and stare at all the beautiful fish in the aquarium.

"They're all really beautiful," I say breathlessly.

"Which one's your favorite?" he inquires. I give him a confused look.

"Why do you want to know?" I ask.

"Just curious," he responds with a shrug.

"Okay then..." I say, still a bit suspicious. My eyes scan the entire aquarium, but one especially stands out and catches my eye. I walk forward for a closer look, and decide that one is my favorite.

"This one," I answer, pointing at a fish with one silver stripe, one blue stripe, and one red stripe. Takumi walks over and observes the fish beside me.

"That one is a Cardinal Tetra," he says. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah. It's colorful," I respond, staring at the fish as if I were in a trance.

"It is. Wait here for a moment, Misaki," he tells me.

"Okay," I say, nodding my head in acknowledgement. I watch him walk out of the small aquarium room we were in and into another one.

"Oh my god, is that Misaki Ayuzawa?!" I hear someone gasp.

"It is! I think it is!" someone else squeals. Uh-oh. I completely forgot I was famous!

"Misaki! An autograph, please!" a lady with short black hair requests, running up to me with a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Oh! Me too!" someone chimes in.

"I asked first!" the black haired lady yells, shoving her paper into my face.

"If you two are going to bicker, let me go first!" another lady jumps in.

"Misaki Ayuzawa!" someone screams. Before I know it, a crowd of people are surrounding me. Everyone is arguing and shrieking, and my head starts hurting.

Suddenly, the lights turn off. Sounds of frustration and confusion were heard from a bunch of people. I feel a soft fabric being shoved against my nose and mouth, preventing me from breathing.

"Mmph!" I try to scream, but it only came out as a muffled sound which couldn't be heard over the noisy crowd. I feel very dizzy and see the world spinning in front of me.

The last word I heard was "Goodnight," before everything turned black.

* * *

"Mmm," I groan, my eyes slowly opening. The room I was in was dark, but I could see a bit of light from the corner of my eye. Where the hell was I?

"You're awake," a voice says, followed by a very dark giggle. I gulp.

"W-who are you...?" I ask, my voice shaky from fear.

"Ah, how rude of me," they say, walking over to another side of the room. They flicks the lights on, and stand right in front of me where I can see them clearly. My eyes widen as I see the face of someone I hate very very much.

"We meet again, bitch." she snarls.

* * *

 **I thought this fanfic didn't have enough drama, so I'm starting to add some in mwahaha :D**

 **Who do you think the mysterious kidnapper is? I know, it's really obvious xD**

 **I finally came up with a lot more stuff to put into this story so I'll probably be updating this story daily if I can! Yay!**

 **See ya next chapter~**


	16. Chess

"...C-Charlotte...?" I stammer.

"Ayuzawa," she says. "What kind of potion did you give him? What kind of magic did you use?!" she demands. What was the talking about?

"Potions? Magic? What?" I ask. She paces back and forth across the room.

"Yes. How else would you make Takumi fall in love with you?" she scoffs.

"I don't know!" I exclaim. "But Charlotte, you're taking this too far-"

"SHUT UP!" she shrieks. "He was my ONLY friend when I was a child, and you STOLE him from me!" she yells. I decide it would be wise to not speak at all right now. "But it's okay," she giggles. I stare at her unreadable expression. Wow, I can't believe I thought Sakura had mood swings.

"What...?" I ask quietly.

"I said it's okay," she repeats. "He's simply confused. Soon he'll realize it wasn't you he loved- but me," she says dreamily.

"How will you make him 'realize' that?" I inquire, genuinely curious.

"I was just about to get there," she snorts. "I left a note in the aquarium for him. If he really loves you, he'll come save you at his inconvenience," she explains.

"How do you know someone else didn't get the note?" I ask her.

"Why are you talking to me?! You're being held hostage! You should be afraid!" she whines angrily. "I just know he's the one who got it," she says dismissively.

 **Ring!**

"OH! Takumi-kun's calling me!" she cheers, picking up her phone and placing it against her ear. "Hello, Takumi!~" she greets. She's silent for a few seconds before wearing a frown on her face.

"Of course I didn't kidnap her! Why would you think such a thing?" she pouts. A few moments later, she chirps a happy "Goodbye!" and hangs up.

"What'd he say?" I ask. She glares at me.

"Shut up. Speak another word and I'll cut your tongue off," she threatens, pulling out a sharp knife. I shudder at the sight of it. Suddenly, I hear a loud 'SLAM' sound, and I can see the door being broken off its hinges.

"You will not lay a finger on her," a very familiar voice says.

"T-Takumi?" she stutters, dropping the knife onto the floor in surprise.

"I'll never love you Charlotte. Please get over it," he growls bitterly, walking over to where I was. "Misaki, are you okay?" he asks, untying my arms and legs.

"Yeah," I mumble, although I really wanted to yell at him for asking such a stupid question. I was just freaking kidnapped by his psychotic childhood friend, and all he has to say is 'are you okay'?!

"Good, we're getting out of he-" BAM!

"T-Takumi?!" I shriek in horror, watching his body go limp and fall to the floor. Charlotte stood behind his body with a chair raised above her head. This crazy bitch just knocked him out cold with a chair! Thanks to Takumi untying my limbs, I could now move around freely, so I stood up and was ready to fight her.

"If I can't have Takumi... NOBODY CAN!" Charlotte cackles loudly as if she's completely gone insane- which I'm pretty sure she has. I stare at the girl in horror.

"Charlotte, please calm down-"

"Calm down?! CALM D-"

 **Knock knock!**

"Charlotte, I'm coming in," the voice of a young man says. I see the door handle turn and the door swings open. He flips the lights on, and his eyes immediately widen at the sight of Charlotte holding a knife, my tattered clothes, and an unconscious Takumi. But what was more surprising is the fact that I knew this boy. And this boy happened to be my stylist.

"A-Aoi?!" I squeak. He drops the tray he was holding, causing two glass cups to shatter against the hard floor.

"Misaki! What happened?!" he asks, rushing over to my side. "Charlotte, what the fuck are you doing?!" he yells. She looks a bit guilty- hell, she better be guilty after what she's done.

"Uh, well-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses! I'm sending you back to Britain, you crazy yandere!" he screams. I smile a bit at the fact that he was protecting me. I've known Aoi for as long as I've known Satsuki- after all, they were related.

"You know Charlotte?" I ask. He sighs and runs a hand through his dark purple hair.

"She's my half-cousin," he mutters with a frown. "I'm going to tell Satsuki about this," he tells Charlotte.

"No! DON'T TELL SATSUKI!" she shrieks.

"You're lucky I'm not calling the police. Better start packing, you're taking the first flight to Britain tomorrow morning," Aoi says sternly. Charlotte's eyes get watery.

"Aoi, you big meanie!" she cries, running out of the room. His eyes land on the blonde haired man that was sprawled on the floor. "Wow, she actually knocked out Takumi?" he snorts, walking over to him. I follow behind.

"You know Takumi?" I ask. He nods.

"Charlotte always hung out with him, so I came a few times," he replies, searching his head for injuries. "He'll be fine. Actually, Satsuki arrived here a few hours ago. I'll ask her to help you bring him home," he offers.

"Sure," I say, and with that Aoi leaves the room. The lights were now turned on, so it wasn't as scary in this basement. I had to admit, Charlotte wasn't the brightest girl to hide us in her freaking basement while two or more of her family members were present. Not that I'm complaining, because her stupidity saved our asses.

"Takumi," I call gently, tapping his shoulder. He lets out a quiet groan, but doesn't move. I hear the sound of a door being slammed open, and through the door came a squealing Satsuki.

"Oh my god! What did Charlotte do to him?!" she exclaims.

"Knocked him out with a chair," I reply, wincing as that moment replays in my head again and again. Satsuki's expression turns dark.

"I knew bringing Charlotte to Japan wasn't a good idea..." she sighs. She walks over to Takumi's head and motions for me to grab his legs. Satsuki secures her arms beneath his upper body, while I his lower.

We pretty much awkwardly carry him home from there, ignoring the pissed off Aoi's scolding that you could hear from even miles away from the house (slight exaggeration).

* * *

"Misaki...?" Takumi groans from the bed. That immediately catches my attention, and my head jerks up to face him.

"Takumi! You're awake!" I exclaim, standing up and wrapping my arms around him. "You got me so worried," I murmur, squeezing him as tight as I could. He seems a bit surprised, but after a few moments, he returns the gesture and envelopes his arms around me.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you," he whispers with a frown. I shake my head.

"It's not your fault," I whisper back. He chuckles. "What's so funny?" I ask.

"You really want me to do something to you, don't you?" he says, clearing his throat and gesturing to our position. I was straddling his waist, and my arms were wrapped securely around his neck. His bent legs caged me in on either side of my hips, while his hands rested on my back. My face heats up at the sight of the suggestive position.

"No way! Don't touch me," I squeak, clumsily scrambling off of him and landing on the marble floor with a 'thud'.

"Calm down, it was a joke," he chuckles, extending his hand out for me to grab. I instead let out a frustrated huff and stand on my own.

"Well, it wasn't very funny," I mutter, wiping the invisible dust off my shorts.

"Sorry," he apologizes with a sheepish smile. I give him a confused look.

"What? There's no need to be sorry," I say. He raises an eyebrow.

"But I thought the joke hurt your feelings?" he asks, now thoroughly confused.

"What- you know I didn't mean it..." I mutter. "Did she hit your head too hard? Should I call a doctor?" I inquire, sitting up and massaging the back of his head with my index and middle finger.

"I'm fine. She didn't hit me very hard. She hit me in just the right spot- that's what knocked me out," he explains. I frown, still not fully convinced.

"You better tell me if anything hurts," I tell him. He nods obediently.

"Of course, mother," he replies sarcastically. I glare at him.

"I just feel bad since all of this happened because of me," I sigh. He pats my head.

"It's not your fault- it's Charlotte's. I can't believe I trusted her so much," he assures me. There was a kind of awkward and tense air between us that I wanted to break, so I decided to make the dumbest and most random suggestion ever.

"Takumi, lets play Chess," I say, running over to a shelf and pulling out the boxed game. He raises an eyebrow.

"I don't see why not," he agrees, sliding over towards the pillows to give me some space to sit on the bed. I gratefully take the spot across from him and let him set up the game in-between us both.

"I'll go first," he decides. He picks up a creamy white lamppost looking piece and moves it forward one square. Seemed easy enough. I pick up a black lamppost piece and move it forward one as well.

"Haha, take that," I taunt him. He gives me a strange look.

"That was your first turn," he states.

"I know. I'm just confident," I grin. He chuckles.

"Okay then," he says, moving the same lamppost piece forward again. I also move my same lamppost piece another square. He then proceeds to move his horse piece by making an "L" shape. What?! Each of them move differently?! I'm screwed.

Following along with what he did to pretend as if I knew what I was doing, I picked up my horse piece and moved it in an "L" shape as well. He stares at me as if I grew two heads.

"What?" I ask, wondering if I did something wrong. He grabs my horse piece and moves it to a different space.

"You moved that one wrong," he states, amusement evident in his eyes. I blush.

"I knew that! It's been a while since I've played, get off my case," I defend.

"Alright alright, I won't underestimate the great Misaki," he jokes. I watch as he picks up his horse and knocks over one of my lampposts with it. He picks up the knocked over piece and sets it aside. Ah, so this game was kind of like checkers?

"Tch," I scoff, eyeing my poor lamppost that was set aside. It's okay, I'll win it back!

I pick up my horse and knock over his lamppost with it. With a smug smile on my face, I grab his lamppost and set it aside, before grabbing my lamppost and putting it back on the board. Two could play at that game.

To my disappointment, instead of him being caught of guard or jealous of my amazing chess-playing skills, he starts laughing obnoxiously.

"Wha- are you laughing at me right now, Takumi Usui?!" I demand, standing up on the soft mattress. He simply ignores me and continues to laugh and clutch his stomach. "Takumi, you better answer me right now or you're DEAD!" I scream, causing him to cease his laughter.

"You don't know how to play chess, do you?" he inquires, eyes now full of amusement. I blush.

"I-I do!" I argue. He raises an eyebrow skeptically. His hand reaches down to grab a chess piece, before lifting it up in front of his face.

"Then, what's this piece called?" he challenges. I glare at him.

"Lamppost," I reply hesitantly. Again, he shakes with laughter and even falls backwards onto the bed. Damn, I never knew it was so embarrassing to not know the name of a chess piece.

"T-This is-" another laugh. "A pawn," he explains, handing the lamppost like piece to me. I take it out of his hand and hold it in mine.

"A pawn..." I repeat. "Can you teach me how to play chess?" I request suddenly.

"Sure," he answers, rearranging a few pieces on the chess board so we could start over.

"Okay, this one's a pawn, as I told you earlier," he says, pointing to the lamppost piece. I nod in understanding, before he taps another piece. "This one's a rook," he explains, his finger resting on a piece that resembled a castle.

"Why do they call it a rook?" I ask him.

"Beats me," he replies with a shrug. "Anyway, this one's a knight," he continues, pointing at the horse piece. "And this one's a bishop," he says, resting his finger on a piece that looked like a lit candle.

"I like the bishop most," I decide. He chuckles.

"And last but not least, the queen," he says, holding up a piece that reminded me of a crown. "And the king," he adds, holding in his other hand a piece that looked like it had a cross on the top of it.

"Wow... They're all really cool," I remark. He smiles.

"Okay, now I'll tell you how they all move." he says.

For the rest of the night, Takumi taught me how to play Chess, and we both had lots of fun. The Charlotte incident was temporarily forgotten as we spent the night only preoccupied by the game and each other (not in a dirty way... get your mind out of the gutter).


	17. Stubborn

**Thank you everyone for 100 reviews! It made me really happy :D**

 **Ahh I didn't realize how short this chapter looked until I started editing it. I'll definitely try to make the next chapter longer to make up for it! :P**

* * *

"Misaki... Don't you think you should go to sleep soon?" Takumi asks me. I shake my head. Although the digital clock beside his bed read the numbers '2:14" I refused to go to sleep.

"No way. I have yet to beat you," I say, slamming a lamp- I mean, pawn, down on a black square.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself-"

"But I won't. I know my limits," I assure him, though I knew it was a pretty blatant lie myself. Luckily, he'd never seen that weak side of me before though, so he wouldn't know.

"If you say so," he sighs, moving one of his knights. I then move one of my pawns.

"Hey, Takumi," I say enthusiastically for no reason at all.

"Hmm?" he inquires. I quickly try to think up something to ask, since I couldn't just say 'I like saying your name' because that would sound really creepy.

"What's your favorite color?" I blurt. His hand freezes for a moment and he raises an eyebrow at me.

"Why?" he asks. "Does Misaki want to know more about me?" he smirks. I blush.

"No way- I was just curious!" I exclaim. "Fine, don't answer then!"

"Amber," he says. I give him a weird look.

"What?"

"My favorite color. It's amber," he repeats.

"Really? Why?" I ask. He stares at me as if the answer were obvious.

"Just because." he answers with a shrug, resuming the game. "What's your favorite color, then?" he asks.

"Hmm... Maybe green?" I try to decide. Suddenly I remember Charlotte's pale green eyes which I despised. "Like, emerald green," I add.

"Oh?" he muses, sliding one of his pieces over to my king. "Checkmate."

"WHAT?! You were distracting me with questions, this is not fair!" I protest. He sweeps all the chess pieces back into the box and neatly places the checkered board back in as well.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was you who started the questioning," he states. I frown at that.

"Whatever," I mutter, reaching out for the Chess box. Unfortunately, he raises it out of my reach. "Give it," I say.

"Nope. It's time for you to go to sleep," he remarks, getting off the bed and putting the box on a very high shelf so I wouldn't be able to retrieve it.

"Why won't you play another round?" I ask. "Afraid I'm gonna beat you?" I challenge.

"Not really," he chuckles. "Go to sleep. It's almost half past two in the morning," he tells me, grabbing my wrist and dragging me down into a laying position onto the bed.

"W-Who said I'm going to sleep here?!" I squeak, struggling in his grasp. His eyes flutter closed, and his hold on me tightened.

"Shh, stop moving around already..." he whispers, bringing his hand up to rest on my cheek. "Go to bed..." he murmurs, his fingernail grazing my left ear lightly. The touch sends shivers down my spine- the good kind. This doesn't go unnoticed by Takumi, as he proceeds to run his nail gently across my earlobe.

"S-Stop," I say weakly, placing my hands on his chest and attempting to push him away.

"You're not enjoying this?" he asks incredulously, bringing his face closer to mine. My face was definitely very red by now, no doubt about it.

"I-I'm tired," I protest weakly, turning my head toward the ceiling so I wouldn't be facing him. I can see him staring at me with his emerald orbs in the corner of my eye.

"Fine," he says. I let out a sigh in relief. "But first, you have to give me a goodnight kiss," he adds with a smirk. The short-lived relief I had disappeared as he said those words.

"No way!" I exclaim, throwing the blanket off both of us and trying to jump off the bed, only to be pushed back down by his arm. He looks at me with pleading eyes.

"I've never gotten a kiss initiated by you, though," he pouts. I scowl at him.

"Yes you did! Remember that game of Truth or Dare?!" I argue.

"But you said my kiss on the neck didn't count- so why should the forehead?" he counters. I open my mouth to make a snide comment, but realizing I had nothing to say, I close it. He smirks upon seeing my expression.

"You're the worst," I mutter. He grins.

"Love you too," he responds. My eyes widen at the comment. Even though it was meant as a joke, I could still feel my heart skip a beat at his words. God damn it, why did I have to fall in love with an alien?!

"Y-Yeah..." I muster up the strength to give a small smile. He continues to study my face- his eyes staring directly into mine.

"You okay?" he asks obliviously. I almost wanted to punch him in the face- no, better yet, I wanted to tell him how I felt so he wouldn't be so dumb and say such things as a joke. But I want my confession to be somewhere and sometime special, so I'll have to wait for that opportunity...

"Tired. Night," I say simply, turning off the small lamp beside us and curling up against the wall. I could tell he was still staring at me- after all, my mood changed within a matter of seconds, so I don't blame him for being curious.

"Okay... I'm expecting a good morning kiss," he says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Keep dreaming," I snort, though I just realized I've been smiling at his stupid remark. "Actually, you better not dream about me, pervert."

"Of course, Misaki-sama," he replies promptly. Aggravated, I turn around and glare daggers at him.

"You make me sound like some sort of frightening person," I comment.

"Is that not what you are?" he asks, feigning innocence, although I could clearly hear the smirk in his voice.

"You better shut your mouth before you regret it." I warn him. Luckily, he had proven himself to be smart, so he shut his mouth and didn't utter a single word for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **Ring!**

"Shhh..." I shush in an attempt to silence the noise.

 **Ring!**

"Be quiet..." I groan.

 **Beep!**

"MISAKI GET YOUR ASS UP RIGHT NOW AND ANSWER YOUR PHONE!" came a loud high-pitched voice. I jerk up and sit on the bed. I immediately reach for the source of the sound- my phone. Geez, leave it to Sakura to leave such kind and thoughtful voicemails.

Pressing on her contact information and hitting a green symbol, I call her back. Within two rings, she picked up. Already expecting a bunch of shrieking and squealing, I hold the phone a good four inches or so away from my ear.

"MIIIIIISAKI! YOU HAVEN'T CALLED ME IN SOOOOOOO LONG! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME?!" Sakura demands. Leaning my phone against my right ear, I let out a small laugh.

"You're worrying too much. Nothing's happening- sorry I haven't been calling," I tell her. I figured that if I told her Charlotte kidnapped me and knocked Takumi out, her reaction probably wouldn't be so good.

"Nothing, eh? I find it very hard to believe that you're stuck in a freaking mansion-"

"Villa," I correct.

"Yeah yeah," she waves it off. "Anyway- I can't believe you're stuck in a villa with some super duper handsome guy and you haven't done anything yet!" she sighs. "Oh, speaking of, how did that confession go?" she asks eagerly. I stiffen up.

"The...confession? I didn't get to it," I say, adding a carefree laugh at the end to make it sound like I didn't care. "I'll do it some other time, kay?"

"Misaki..." she pouts. "You have to-"

"Sakura! Help me wash these dishes!" I hear someone on the other line call in the distance. It was probably Satsuki.

"Yeah, I'll help," she calls back, holding the phone away from her face. "Misaki, I'll call you back in a few hours. Bye!" Sakura chirps, bringing the phone back to her ear before hanging up a couple seconds after.

"Yeah...bye..." I mutter to myself, the phone still on my ear, though I knew perfectly well she'd hung up a few seconds ago.

I kneel over to place my phone back down onto the small table beside my- err, Takumi's bed.

"What confession?"

"GAH!" I scream, jumping at the sudden voice and landing backwards awkwardly onto Takumi's chest. My breathing was uneven and my face was red- not from the scare, but from the position I ended up in.

"An answer, please?" he requests. I glare at him.

"You scared the shit out of me," I murmur, lifting my head off his chest and getting back into my own personal space.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he apologizes with little sincerity in his tone. "But what confession were you talking about with Sakura?"

"How'd you know it was Sakura-"

"I just did. Now stop changing the subject," he sighs. I glare at him.

"There was no subject to even begin with," I say, playing dumb. I shove the blankets off my legs and stand up to walk downstairs. Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled backwards as my back being slammed onto the soft and cushiony mattress. I stare up to see Takumi hovering over me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Misaki, I have one question to ask you," he says. "Please answer it honestly." he tells me sternly. I try to answer but there was a lump in my throat- so instead I settled for a simple nod. He took a sharp inhale.

"Do you like me?" he asks. My eyes widen at the question. This certainly wasn't something I was expecting.

"Err- Takumi, isn't that a bit much... I-I, well..." I stammer, trying to find the right words. He chuckles, catching my attention once more.

"Sorry. You're right- I went too far," he says, the grip on my wrists loosening. I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed as I watched him disappear from my sight and walk out the door. Does he think I dislike him now...?

"Takumi," I call weakly. No reply. I rush off the bed, not caring for the sheets that landed on the marble floor as I did so. As I slammed the door open, I caught sight of the blonde at the bottom of the staircase.

"TAKUMI!" I yell, causing him to look at me skeptically. The sudden adrenaline rush I had sent me going after him desperately- perhaps a bit too desperately? I honestly don't know why in the deepest pits of hell I thought this was a good idea, but I did it anyway. I jumped down from the top of the staircase- which was about 20 feet high.

Whoops.


	18. Second Date

**I know I promised this chapter would be longer than the last, but it's even shorter haha .**

 **And to think this took me four days to write tsk tsk**

 **But you know what they say, quality over quantity! (pfft quality work my ass)**

* * *

"You'll be fine Ms. Ayuzawa. You're lucky you got away with just lots of bruises and scrapes." the doctor informs me, tending to a few of my bigger cuts. "But really...what were you doing jumping down a staircase?" she inquires. I laugh nervously.

"I actually have no idea. It's like my body had a mind of its own," I reply. Not entirely a lie, but not entirely the truth.

"Ah. Well, try to be careful," she says, dismissing the topic. After placing a bandaid on my lower arm, she sits back in her chair.

"Okay. All done. Make sure she's careful, okay?" she requests of Takumi. "Bye, Ayuzawa."

"Bye," I say, standing up. Takumi was leaning on the wall the entire time watching me. "Let's go," I tell him, grabbing his arm and pulling him along with me. See, the reason my injuries weren't so horrible is because I didn't jump very far at all and so it resulted in me tumbling and rolling down the staircase instead. Takumi ran up and stopped me around halfway down the staircase, so I only got bruises and cuts. He then rushed me to a nearby hospital- maybe around 10 minutes away, even though I assured him I was fine.

"Takumi?" I ask, exiting the hospital, his sleeve still in my hand. He doesn't respond. Slightly confused, I turn around to face him. He was staring at the back of my head the entire time- as expected -but wasn't talking to me.

"Err- Takumi...?" I ask again, waving my hand in front of his face. He grabs my wrist to make me stop moving my hand around. I wince at how rough he was, but don't say a word about it.

"Misaki...why can't you be more careful?" he asks, running his thumb along a bruise that formed on my upper arm. He was gentle, so his touch didn't hurt the bruised skin. I frown.

"I'm sorry," I sigh. I really dislike it when Takumi's upset with me. He presses his lips together in frustration. "I'm honestly fine, though," I say reassuringly. It was the truth- none of the bruises even really hurt unless pressure was applied to them.

"I know you're fine, but what if you didn't get so lucky? What if your head hit the corner of a step and you got a concussion?!" he scolds, his expression looking angry and concerned. I look down and avoid his gaze. I would actually find his worrying a bit cute if I weren't feeling so guilty right now.

"I...I'm sorry..." I mutter again. "What I did was reckless," I say, suddenly wanting to be close to him. I nervously pull my hand out of his loose grasp and instead loop my arms around his torso. I rest my head against his chest, allowing me to hear his steady heartbeat.

"Misaki...?" he asks in surprise. "Did you hit your head hard on the way down the stairs-"

"Be quiet. Just let me stay like this for a while, okay?" I cut him off. I feel him gently place his arms around me as well, causing me to smile into his shirt. I decide to enjoy his embrace for a while, in hopes of him being not angry at me anymore.

"I really can't stay mad at you," he laughs. I can feel him nuzzle his face into my hair, and instead of pushing him away like I normally would, I let him. Y'know, maybe I did hit my head too hard on the way down, because honestly, I don't know why I'm acting this way. I knew I liked him, but damn, not this much...

"T-Takumi?" I say.

"Hmm?" he asks.

"U-Uh, I...you know that question you asked me this morning?" I start. He stays silent to think for a moment.

"Which one?" he asks. I blush.

"Err- the one about me liking you..." I murmur. A few more seconds pass while we stay in each other's embrace, before he speaks.

"Ah, yep. What about it?" he inquires. I could hear a smile in his voice as if he already knew what was coming. He tries to pull out of the hug, but I quickly shove my body against his again, causing him to be surprised. I didn't want him to see my extremely red face.

"T-Takumi... I um," I stutter. Okay, deep breaths Misaki. Just say it all in one go. "I LIKE YOU!" I blurt. Shit, that didn't sound romantic at all! Did my voice hitch too high at the end?!

"I like you too, Misaki," he chuckles, snapping me out of my thoughts. My face turns even redder at this- if that was even possible.

"I-I know...you told me before," I mumble into his chest.

"Just wanted to make sure you knew," he says. I roll my eyes.

"W-We should probably stop hugging now. It's b-been like five minutes," I suggest to change the topic. He chuckles and unwraps his arms from my figure.

"That's what I was trying to do earlier," he states with a smirk. "Except someone else didn't want to..." he adds. I avoid his gaze and instead stare at a very interesting tree.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." I huff, crossing my arms in front of my chest. He laughs. Well, at least he wasn't mad anymore.

"Well then, Misaki," he says. "Shall we go on another date?" he offers, taking my hand in his larger one. My eyes widen in surprise. Staring at our intertwined hands, I can't help but smile. Does this mean we're dating?

"Yeah."

* * *

"Misaki, want any of these?" Takumi asks, pointing at a bunch of jewelry that was being displayed inside a glass container. I scanned the contents, and a certain necklace caught my eye. It was beautiful, but right when my eyes landed on the price below I froze.

"Nah, I don't like jewelry," I lie smoothly. I was pretty unfeminine in every other way, so it was a pretty believable lie. Honestly, I am a pretty famous actress who makes lots of money, but when I was younger I was very poor and had to work part-time jobs to care for my mother and sister. I guess I kinda got used to saving money and not being overly lavish. I especially hated using other people's money.

"I'd like this necklace please," he says to the lady that worked at the shop. I immediately glare at him. He stares back at me. "What?"

"I said I didn't-"

"That's what you said, but you didn't mean it," he retorts before I could even finish my sentence. I blush, knowing he was right.

"You're weird..." I mutter. He laughs as the worker hands him the necklace which she placed inside a small black square box. He hands her his credit card, she does something and hands it back to him, then he places it back into his wallet.

"Have a good day," the lady says politely.

"You too," I reply, while Takumi simply turns around and walks out the door. Geez, what nice manners my boyfriend has. Ah, it feels so nice to be able to say that word! Can I even call him that yet? Are we officially together?!

"Misaki," Takumi calls, snapping me out of my reverie. Only then do I realize I've been standing in the jewelry stop, hands tangled in my hair like a complete weirdo. I quickly smoothen my hair down and laugh awkwardly.

"I'm coming," I say, walking out the door which Takumi was holding open for me. As I walk past him, he swiftly grabs my hand. My face turns bright red once again. "Where do you want to go next?" he asks.

"U-Um... I d-don't know, you decide," I stammer, my eyes permanently glued onto our hands. It made me so happy that we were doing things a couple would do. That's what we are, right?

"Is the hand holding making you uncomfortable?" he asks, loosening his grip on my hand to let go. Suddenly, I squeeze his hand as if my life depended on it. I really didn't want him to let go...

"Oh? So you like it?" he inquires with a smirk. I turn my head away from him so he couldn't see the unnaturally red color on my face.

"As if," I scoff. "I'm just doing this because my hands are cold," I lie very unsmoothly, since it was the middle of summer.

"Ah, yes. The sun's making me quite cold as well," he agrees sarcastically.

"Shut up."


	19. Bonding

"Takumi, are you serious...?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, so sit," he responds. I sigh and sit on the black seat.

"Isn't a playground a bit childish?" I murmur. He shrugs.

"There's no one else here, does it really matter?" he says.

"I guess not," I reply, gripping the rusty chains on either side of me. "But do you really have to push me on the swing? I'm fully capable."

"Afraid so," he teases, grabbing the chains, his hands purposely placed right over mine. I can feel my cheeks heat up a bit, but luckily he was behind me and couldn't see my face.

"D-Don't push me too high," I warn him, just to mask my awkwardness and embarrassment. He smirks at that.

"Aww, is Misaki afraid of heights?" he asks in a teasing voice, though I could tell he's actually curious.

I scoff. "Of course not. If I were scared of heights would I be able to jump down a staircase without a care in the world?" I retort. "Why? Are you?" I ask. I hear him chuckle before responding. And actually, his answer really surprised me.

"Yeah, I am." he simply replies. My eyes widen in surprise at how easily he admitted it to me. I had no idea he was afraid of heights. Before I can hide it, a wide smile appears on my face. No, I wasn't laughing at his fears or anything. I'm really happy that he trusts me with these kinds of things actually...

I suddenly feel weight being put on the top of my head. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, I lift one of my hands up to touch the thing on my head, only to be met with softness.

"Takumi, what is this?" I inquire. "Did you put a squirrel on my head or something?" I ask. Hey, don't look at me. Knowing this alien he'd be able to catch a squirrel and somehow keep it on my head.

He laughed a bit, probably at my really ridiculous question. "Does my hair feel like a squirrel? Gee, thanks Misaki," he joked. My face turned dark red at my sudden realization- he was resting his chin on my head.

"You weirdo," I mumble. "Seriously, you're lucky I like-" I begin, only to catch my mistake and clear my throat to cover it up. "Hate you so much that I put up with you." I say with a blush.

Takumi chuckles, obviously catching my slip-up. Fortunately, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and not make any comments about how what I just said made absolutely no sense at all.

"So, are you gonna push me or what?" I ask, saying the first thing that came to my mind. Wow, smooth Misaki.

As expected, he smirks at my question. I felt the weight of his head being lifted off mine, and I let out a sigh of relief. My heart was about to burst out of my chest at any moment there.

"Of course, milady. Hold on tight, we wouldn't want you falling down from such a height...again." he instructs in a joking tone, though I could tell that he was actually serious about it.

"It's not like I could let go even if I wanted to," I point out, gesturing towards his hands that were still holding mine around the swing chains.

"Good point. Maybe I should also hold your hand whenever you need to go downstairs-"

"Takumi! I already said I was sorry!" I exclaim, getting up abruptly and temporarily forgetting that his hands were still around mine. I tip backwards, stumbling over my feet, and only then do I feel him remove his hands from mine. Unfortunately, I fall backwards and land into warm, familiar arms.

Wait, warm familiar arms?

The owner of the arms- which I immediately identified as Takumi's -lifted me up and carried me bridal style. My face immediately lit up a bright red color as his emerald eyes stared straight into my amber ones.

"And this is why I need to keep an eye on you at all times," he says as if I proved his point. I roll my eyes at him.

"I'll be just fi-AHHHH!" I shriek, feeling myself slipping from his arms, only to be immediately caught again. My eyes were wide in fear, my heart beating incredibly fast. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I demand, about ready to punch his annoying but extremely handsome face in.

He smirks, which needless to say pissed me off, before answering my question with the dumbest answer of all time.

"See? If I weren't there, you would've fallen and gotten hurt," he replies. My jaw drops in utter shock, before I quickly close my mouth and shoot him a sharp glare. This idiot did that on purpose!

"That would've never happened if you didn't pick me up in the first place!" I argue. He simply shrugs, his grip on me tightening.

"It's okay. I know my Misaki secretly likes being held in my arms~" he teases, my face turning red for the hundredth time that day. I immediately start struggling in his grip as if to prove him wrong.

"No way! I hate it! And when did I become yours?!" I fume, punching him lightly in the arm. He smirks, and I brace myself for another annoying comment of his.

"You became mine ever since the day you confessed to me in front of the hospital," he replies, leaning down a bit and planting a kiss on my forehead. Oh my god, I hope he didn't feel how hot my skin was…then again, the blush on my face was quite obviously visible anyway so it wouldn't even matter.

"Takumi, that was _today_ you idiot," I respond. I could still feel the lingering tingly feeling of his lips on my forehead.

"So you're admitting that you belong to me?" he asks, a wide grin on his face. My face turns even darker- if that's even possible -as I simply shrug in response.

"You don't own me…that'd be creepy," I murmur. He chuckles at that.

"So you don't like it when I call you my Misaki?" he inquires. I raise an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this.

"Uh, yeah. I thought we already established this," I say with a roll of my eyes. His lips curl into a smirk. What the hell? Did I say something weird?

"Well then, Misaki," he starts. "Would you like it if I called you my girlfriend?" he asks. My eyes widen in shock- I certainly was not expecting that question. He really is unpredictable…I guess it only adds to his charm.

"Y-You're asking me o-out while c-carrying me?" I stammer, noting how awkward this situation would look to any passersby. "You really are an alien…" I mumble. He laughs.

"That I am," he agrees, the smirk that was previously on his face now morphed into more of a grin. "So, Misaki Ayuzawa, will you be my girlfriend?" he asks again. I feel my eyes get watery as tears sting at my eyes. Now I know how girls feel when they cry during proposals.

"O-Only if you'll be my b-boyfriend in return," I reply. His grin grows even wider at my response.

"Aww, Misaki's asking me out instead?" he teases. finally deciding to let me down and stand up on my own two feet. Right when my feet hit the ground, he grabs my waist and pulls me towards him to hug me. "What a man," he whispers into my ear. My eye twitches and I shoot him a glare that he obviously couldn't see since my face was buried into his chest.

"Shut it before I change my mind," I threaten. That does the job, because he instantly shuts his mouth and stops talking. "Good boy." I say, patting his arm. Unfortunately, that gets the teasing started up again.

"Aww, did my girlfriend just compliment me?" he smirks. I sigh in frustration.

"Why did I even agree to go out with you…?"

"Because you love me?" he offers.

"Nah," I immediately deny. "That's definitely not it." I say. He feigns a hurt look on his face.

"Ouch. Misaki's so mean."

"Only to you, alien."

* * *

 **Chapter 19.5**

* * *

"Takumi?" I call.

"Hmm?" he asks.

"We haven't read our scripts in a month," I point out. "Wanna practice together?" I suggest. He raises an eyebrow at my suggestion but complies nonetheless.

"Why not. Let me find my script," he says, sitting up on his bed, the blanket falling off his body. And that's when I see something I wish I never had seen. He was freaking _topless!_

"Takumi, put on a shirt!" I squeal, turning around and placing my forehead against the closed door.

"Why? Wouldn't it be more exciting to practice like this?" he asks, and even though I wasn't looking at him, I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"NO! It would _not!_ " I protest. "Now go and put on a shirt!" I command.

"You obviously don't want me to do that,"

"YES I DO!"

"Care to explain why you're still in my room, then?" he inquires. I open my mouth to fire back some smart comeback, only to realize his question was completely valid. Why the hell was I still in his bedroom?! "Oh, unless…"

"U-Unless what?"

"Unless… _you were planning to peek?_ "

Immediately, my face heats up at his words, as I twist the doorknob and throw the door open. Within a matter of seconds, I was down the hall and rushing down the stairs.

"Oh my god, that guy really is a pervert!" I exclaim, jumping down the last two steps. Hey, nothing risky anymore, don't worry. I've definitely learned from last time.

"Who's a pervert?" he asks, staring at me from the top of the staircase, and _still topless._

"Y-You! PUT ON A GODDAMNED SHIRT RIGHT NOW OR I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS, USUI TAKUMI!"

* * *

"Okay, which scene are we going to practice?" I ask, flipping through a few pages of the script. We were both currently sitting on the couch downstairs in the living room, and yes, I finally managed to get that guy into a t-shirt.

"Hmm…" he hums, flipping towards the end of the script as if he knew the exact scene he wanted to practice. Well, knowing him he probably memorized this entire thing and every page number along with it, so I wasn't very surprised. "Scene 48," he decides.

"Scene 48? Alright then," I say, grabbing my script and finding the scene. It was definitely near the end, since this movie had about 60 scenes in all.

"From the top," he instructs. He closes the script, obviously showing off that he memorized it. I roll my eyes, but decide not to be competitive this time and actually focus on the task at hand.

"Aaron, I want you to kiss m- HOLD UP, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

* * *

 **Next chapter preview:**

 _"Nnh, Takumi, s-stop…"_

 _"That's not written on the script, Misaki~"_

 **(THIS STORY IS RATED T DON'T WORRY)**


	20. Practice Makes Perfect

**This chapter's pretty shirt- more of a filler chapter so we can get to the GOOD STUFF (which is next chapter hint hint)**

 **And to Tsuray, as much as I'd love to fulfill your wishes, I am underaged and cannot write anything rated M :P**

 **I'm actually really happy with how this fic is turning out, I've pretty much got everything planned out till the very last chapter! Thanks to everyone who's been with me since chapter 1, it's very much appreciated! :)**

 **I made that sound like I'm ending the fic soon DON'T WORRY THERES LIKE TEN MORE CHAPTERS! (really bad estimate). Sorry if I'm rambling it's really really late and I don't even know if this A/N is making sense anymore- so just go on and read the chapter~**

* * *

"Why, that's a script, dearest." he replies innocently. I shoot a glare his way.

"No shit, Sherlock," I say, a scowl on my face. "I meant why the _hell_ did you choose this scene out of all the others?!" I demand. He shrugs nonchalantly.

"I like this one," he replies casually. "Why? Are you not confident in your acting skills?" he asks, knowing very well that would piss me off. My eyes narrow even more at him.

"Are you possibly suggesting that _you're_ a better actor than _me?_ " I ask in disbelief. His lips curl into a smirk.

"Why, yes I am. Want to prove me wrong?" he says, tapping his index finger on my script a couple times. I let out a loud frustrated sigh, bringing my hand near his and flicking his finger off the page.

"Watch me, Takumi."

* * *

"I-I d-don-"

"Yes, Melanie?" he asks, leaning in even closer. My face is an unnatural shade of red, I can already tell.

"I- UGH! CAN YOU NOT GET SO CLOSE?!" I exclaim, pushing him off of me. He smirks again.

"What's wrong?" he inquires, though he knows fully well what the hell is wrong. I glare at him.

"Well, there's this one guy I know that won't stop sexually harassing me. Any tips?" I respond sarcastically. His smirk only widens at that.

"Actually, I do have a tip." he begins. "I suggest that you let _that guy_ do whatever he pleases." he says. I scoff and roll my eyes.

"Wow, great advice." I reply, my tone still sarcastic as ever.

"No problem. I'm full of good advice," he jokes.

"Oh really," I say dryly, still feeling a bit bitter over the fact that he forced me into acting out this scene.

"Yep. Want to hear another piece of advice?" he asks. I sigh and shrug. Maybe if I sidetrack him enough he'll forget about doing the scene…?

"I guess," I reply. His smirk suddenly vanished and is soon replaced by a straight face. What was his problem?

"If you're desperate to see your incredibly hot boyfriend, do not jump off a staircase to get his attention-"

"I DID _NOT_ JUMP OFF THE STAIRCASE TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!" I protest. "And what kind of description is that?! Incredibly hot?! God, you're conceited!" I fume. He chuckles.

"I never said any names…all that was in your head, Misaki~" he teases. Suddenly, he leans over me _again_ , and corners me against one of the couch's armrests.

"W-What the hell are you doing?! Get off me-"

"Why? Does this make you nervous?" he asks. My eyes widen in shock. Was I that easy to read?

"N-No, it doesn't…" I deny. He smirks, and that's when I know I have no chance against him.

"Really now? Don't deny it, Misaki. I can hear your heartbeat from here," he says, causing my face to turn a red color.

"C-Can you r-really…?" I ask, my eyes wide in horror. Oh god, that's so embarrassing!

He casually retreats back to him normal sitting position as if nothing ever happened, that same _annoying_ smirk on his face.

"Nope. I can't actually hear it, your reactions just make it obvious," he responds. My face turned even redder at the fact that I fell for his trick.

"Y-You're such a w-weirdo…" I murmur, pointing an accusatory finger at him. In response, he swiftly grabs my hand and plants a kiss on the back of it. I immediately pull my hand away from him and put it in my lap awkwardly. He chuckles at my reaction.

"You're so cute," he comments. I roll my eyes at that as if it didn't affect me whatsoever, but the blush on my face said otherwise.

"W-Whatever…" I mutter. "W-We should get back to practicing our lines now," I suggest. The smirk on his face that had disappeared soon came back after I said those words.

"So eager to make out with me, Mi-sa-ki?" he hums, stressing each syllable of my name. My eye twitches.

"You…" I murmur, resisting the urge to punch him in the face. Amusement was now clearly evident on his face.

"Me…?" he asks. I glare at him.

"You're such an idio-"

"Okay, again from the top," he instructs suddenly, cutting me off from ranting. Nevertheless, I glance at the script and remember the first few lines, getting ready to act.

"Aaron, I want you to _stay away from me you pervert,_ " I say, making sure to say the last part in the most threatening tone I could muster up. Takumi raises an eyebrow.

"If you can't even follow a script, how am I ever going to believe you actually know how to act?" he asks. I take it as a challenge. Just this once, I decide to shut my mouth and hold back any rude remarks.

"Sorry, that was _my bad_." I apologize sweetly, though with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. He smirks victoriously. "Aaron, I want you to kiss me," I say, my jaw clenching all the while. Why did my pride always have to get the best of me?!

"Your wish is my command, Melanie." he recites, before quickly pressing his lips against mine as if I were going to run away if he didn't hurry. That was probably true.

"Mm," I try to protest, only to get pushed down onto the couch and pinned down by his larger figure. My head laid awkwardly against the armrest, but I chose to ignore it for now.

He pulled his lips away from mine, only to bring them to my ear. He took my earlobe gently between his teeth and nipped it, causing me to shudder…in a good way.

"Nnh, Takumi, s-stop…" I gasp.

"That's not written on the script, Misaki~" he whispers into my ear, the feeling of his breath and voice directly in my ear overwhelming.

"W-Well, this isn't on the script e-either," I point out. As far as I know, this should've been over after the kiss.

All of a sudden, he stops. He crawls off me and raises his hands in surrender. I give him a look of confusion, which he only responds to with a nonchalant shrug- as if he weren't driving me crazy just seconds ago.

"Looks like you caught me red-handed," he announces. "As expected of Misaki," he chuckles. I sit up, my neck hurting a bit from the position we were in earlier. I'll admit, I am a bit disappointed that I stopped our little…session early.

"That's right," I agree half-heartedly. "Don't ever underestimate me, got that?"

"I wouldn't dare. I certainly wasn't disappointed with the improvement of your kissing skills." he remarks, eyeing me carefully as if waiting for me to lash out on him.

"You weren't bad yourself," I say, my face dark red. Well, I couldn't _always_ be predictable, could I? Besides, there's nothing wrong with complimenting your… _boyfriend._

"Aww, Misaki loves me!"

Scratch that. Being nice to an alien is never the right decision.

* * *

 **Next chapter's gonna be more exciting and longer, don't worry XD**

 **School's starting for me in 3 days (Sept 7), so if you haven't noticed, I'm trying to shove in tons of updates before then! Honestly, our school isn't even that strict or hard, so I'll probably still have lots of time to write, but you never know!**


	21. Reporter Rumors

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TSURAY! It'll be your birthday by the time you read this, so yeah! Everyone check out her stories as well, they're pretty cool! :D**

* * *

 _Ring ring!_

"Mmm…"

Ring _ring!_

"Ugh…this better not be Sakura again…" I mutter, reaching for my phone and sliding the green button to the left.

" _Misaki?"_ the voice asked. I immediately recognized it as Satsuki, which got me pretty excited.

"Satsuki!" I exclaim, a grin on my face. "What's up?" I inquire. Surely she wouldn't call me for no reason. Sakura would be the one to do that.

" _Uh, let's see…how do I say this…?"_ she asks as if I'd know the answer. Now this made me curious. What in the world was going on? " _Misaki, have you read any articles online about you two recently? Tabloids? Magazines?"_ she says quickly. I think for a few seconds, before replying.

"Err- no, I haven't. Was I supposed to?"

" _Oh dear. Misaki, the only advice I have for you is: lock all your windows and close the blinds, make sure all your doors are locked, and do NOT let anyone in no matter what."_ she instructs.

"What? Why? Satsuki, you're making no sense!" I exclaim, now starting to panic. "Is somebody coming to attack us?!" I ask. She laughs nervously on the other line.

" _More like a whole mob of reporters searching for you two. Somebody told them where you guys were, and they're on their way there."_ she explains. " _Director Hirayama is still trying to find out who spilled the beans- he suspects it was another crew member. Anyway, bye for now and try not to get yourselves killed!"_

"Wait! Satsuki-" I try to call for her, only to hear a beep that told me she hung up. What the hell? A mob of reporters looking for us?

I open up my browser and quickly type in "Misaki Ayuzawa and Takumi Usui", hoping to find some results that would be of use to me. As expected, the top result was an article titled " _Actors Misaki Ayuzawa and Takumi Usui: REVEALED!_ ". In an instant, I tapped the article.

After reading the first few sentences, I already felt sick.

 _ **Misaki Ayuzawa and Takumi Usui have gone missing! Some think they eloped, while others say they were murdered. Luckily, reporter Robert Hookes got hold of some information about the two and found out where they've been hiding out. Will we find out the truth in this scandal or will it forever remain a mystery?**_

"TAKUMI USUI!" I yell for his attention, throwing open my room door, phone in hand. I wait outside his door _so very patiently_ , hoping I wouldn't need to barge in and cause a commotion.

Luckily, Takumi opens his door within a few seconds, meaning I wouldn't have to resort to violence. Not that I would've minded, actually.

A playful smirk makes its way onto his face, which tells me he was about to say something that'd make me want to break his arm.

"Ahh, it feels so nice to hear you screaming my name so early in the morn-"

"YOU'RE SUCH A PERVERT, JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE MOMENT OKAY?!" I yell, efficiently shutting him up. I quickly unlock my phone and face the article towards him. "Did you know about this?" I inquire. He shrugs.

"Yeah, my manager called me not to long ago to inform me," he says as if it were no big deal at all. "Why? Is there something wrong with that-"

"OH MY GOD, OF COURSE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT!" I exclaim. "There's going to be a _mob of reporters_ at this villa. Still don't see the problem?" I ask sarcastically. He takes a step closer to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder protectively, completely catching me off guard.

"Relax, Misaki. You act like they're going to burn down our house if we don't answer the door," he chuckles. I blush at our close proximity.

"Well, excuse me for trying to think of our safety…" I murmur, his natural scent along with his cologne calming me down. My best guess would be that he just took a showe- WHAT INDECENT THOUGHTS ARE YOU HAVING, MISAKI?! I've seriously become a pervert, haven't I?! I knew he was a bad influence! His pervertedness rubbed off on me!

"Pervert!" I squeak, pushing his arm off from around my shoulders. He raises an eyebrow in confusion and slight amusement.

"What perverted thing did I do this time?" he inquires. "All I wanted to do was be closer to my _girlfriend_." he says, stressing the last word since he knew very well it made me embarrassed- and even a bit happy, though he doesn't know that of course -whenever he called me his girlfriend.

"I-It's nothing," I quickly cover up. "Takumi, are you sure I shouldn't be worried…?" I ask, half curious and half wanting to change the subject as fast as possible.

"Hmm? About what?" he inquires. I stare at him in disbelief.

"About the reporters, you idiot! I literally told you a few _seconds_ ago!" I reply, seriously questioning his intelligence. He chuckles and pulls me back towards him.

"Yeah yeah, stop worrying so much or you'll get premature wrinkles," he says, poking me right between my eyes and above my nose with his index finger.

"Ow," I murmur, rubbing the spot he poked. "What was that for?"

"Dunno. I just felt like it," he replies. Seriously, this guy…

"You're such a weirdo," I laugh. He smiles at that.

"Don't act like you're the normal one here Misaki," he says. I shrug.

"More normal than you," I respond. Takumi chuckled and leans down to plant a kiss right where he had poked me earlier.

"What are you doing…?" I ask.

"Kissing my _girlfriend_. Why?" he responds. I roll my eyes at his response.

"Stop calling me that, alien," I murmur, my face turning a dark red color. "How would you feel if I kept calling you my boyf-" I start, only to cut myself off. "Actually, nevermind. You'd probably be elated." I grumble. He chuckles.

"You know me so well," he comments in a teasing tone. "Does my girlfriend really love me after all?" he jokes. I blush even more.

"I-I don't know," I reply. "Maybe you should ask her," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Hmm, I think I will," he says, a smirk on his face. He gets down on one knee as if he's about to propose- which I roll my eyes at -and looks up at me with a serious look on his face. "Misaki Ayuzawa, do you love m-"

 _Knock knock!_

I jumped at the sudden noise, successfully tripping over basically _nothing_ , and landing on top of Takumi. I must say, it wasn't the most comfortable landing, since his head hit me in the stomach really hard, and I rolled off him and hit my foot on the doorframe right afterwards.

"Ouchhh!" I hiss, not sure if I should grab onto my food or stomach. In the end, I end up massaging my foot, since it hurt a lot more at the moment.

"Misaki? Are you okay?" he asks, sitting up and checking me for injuries. I might've even found it slightly cute if it didn't hurt so damn much.

" _Hey, I think I hear voices!"_ someone announces from outside the door. I inwardly groan at our current situation. After the announcement, I could hear some people muttering. Oh, and by some, I mean _hundreds_ of people.

" _Same here. They're not answering the door though."_

" _Should we break it down?"_

My eyes widen in alarm, as I immediately jump up to run and open the door. My foot still hurts really bad, but I'd rather not have the door broken down.

All of a sudden, Takumi grabs my hand to prevent me from going any further.

"What are you doing?!" I demand. He raises an eyebrow.

"What are _you_ doing? Remember, no answering the door."

"But they're going to break it down!"

"No, Misaki. They're not."

"Yes, they are! Now let me go," I command.

"Fine. But I'm going with you." he says. I shrug.

"That's fine by me." I reply. He smirks, letting go of my hand for a moment. I stare at him for a few more seconds in confusion, only to watch as he crosses his arms and _takes his shirt off_.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" I exclaim.

" _I definitely heard a scream from in there."_

" _Oh my god, do you think they're having s-"_

"LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!" I shout, plugging my ears with my fingers. Takumi chuckles.

"Misaki," he says, loud enough for me hear over the murmuring crowd and my shouting. I unplug my ears in order to listen to him.

"What?" I ask. "If you haven't noticed, I'm panicking here." I comment dryly. He raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, I've noticed alright." he responds. "We should probably actually go outside now. Everyone knows we're here now- not to mention they think we're doing very _naughty things._ " he suggests. I glare at him.

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS ENTIRE TIME YOU STUPID PERVERT!" I shout. "Honestly, could you be any more annoying?!"

"I can. Want me to show you?" he jokes. I scoff.

"Can you just please shut up and put your shirt back on so we can go outside?" I ask, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"As you wish, darling."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT, PERVERT!"

* * *

I slowly turn the door handle and open the door, revealing hundreds of flashing lights and causing lots of people to shout and squeal. As expected, there were many questions, as well.

"Misaki! Is it true that you and Takumi are engaged?!"

"Takumi-sama, can I have your shirt please?!"

"Please look this way!"

My eye twitches in annoyance, and soon I get really fed up.

"CAN YOU ALL PLEASE JUST BE QUIET?!" I exclaim. That shuts everyone up. "One question at a time!"

A hand shoots up instantly, followed by another a few moments after. I sigh, deciding to answer some questions since this would never be over if I didn't.

"What?" I ask, pointing at a lady with a short black ponytail. I see Takumi raise an eyebrow in the corner of my eye, but he doesn't say anything.

"Are you and Takumi dating?"

"Yes. Next question, you."

"Do you love Takumi?" she inquires innocently. I freeze at that. I can see Takumi staring at me curiously as well- of course he wanted to know as well. My face turns red.

"E-Ehm…I-I think so…" I reply, clearing my throat right after answering as if that'd cover up everything I previously said. I shot a quick glance at Takumi only to see him smiling genuinely. I huff and turn back to the group of reporters.

"You," I choose, making eye contact with…Satsuki?! "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I exclaim. She giggles, her face a red color.

"Wahh Misaki! I came to help you with the reporters but it turns out you didn't need any help!" she explains. "Oh, not to mention that super cute confession! When did you guys start dating?!" she adds, which was very unnecessary in my opinion.

"Oh my, your manager didn't even know about your relationship?" someone asks, causing an uproar. Again, a ton of questions get thrown at us. I roll my eyes at most of them.

"Misaki," I hear Takumi call. I turn to face him, only to realize when I turned that his face was merely inches away from mine.

"W-What are you doi-mmph!"

He pressed his lips against mine for a few seconds, allowing everyone to see the scene. I hear a few squeals, some cheering, and even some booing from fangirls and fanboys of ours.

Luckily, he decided to not be a pervert, and left it at only a bit more than a peck on the lips.

"I love Misaki Ayuzawa, and she loves me," he announces. "Yes we are dating, no we aren't thinking about marriage or children yet, and yes we did keep this a secret because quite frankly there was nobody to tell." he explains smoothly.

"But why are you two hiding out in this villa?" someone from the crowd calls. He runs a hand through his messy blonde hair.

"That," he starts. "You can ask the director. For now, I'd like to be alone with _my girlfriend._ " he says sternly, grabbing my hand and walking back inside the villa. With that, he closes the door and locks it behind him. My face was a beet red color by now.

"Y-You made it a lot worse! N-Now they'll think we're doing something…i-indecent!" I stammer. He grins.

"I wouldn't mind if they thought that."

"Well I would!"

"Okay then, how about we make it a reality then? They won't be misunderstanding if we were actually doing something, no?" he teases, the same annoying and perverted grin still plastered on his face. I grit my teeth.

"Hell no!" I exclaim. "Over my dead body!" I yell. He chuckles.

"Of course. But in all seriousness, at least we won't be getting as many questions about our relationship anymore," he reasons. I nod in agreement.

"Mhmm," I hum. "H-Hey Takumi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever regret becoming an actor?" I ask. He raises an eyebrow, but to my surprise nods and takes my question seriously.

"Yes and no," he replies.

"Why?" I inquire.

"Well, yes because I don't like the media and honestly don't need the money all that badly." he responds. "And no because I like acting and…" he pauses and makes eye contact with me. "I wouldn't have met you if I didn't pursue acting." he finishes.

I feel my heart skip a beat at the last sentence. Really, this guy was too much. Perverted and annoying, but also really sweet and caring. Seriously, could a girl ask for anymore?

"M-Me too," I say. He tilts his head in confusion. "I-I'm really happy that...I got to meet you, too." I explain. The look of confusion that was previously on his face was now replaced with a gentle smile as he lets go of my hand and instead envelopes me in his warm arms.

"I love you, Misaki." he whispers. Though the loud murmuring and clicks of cameras from outside made it hard to hear, I heard his words clearly. A smile made its way onto my face.

"I-I love you too, perv- no, _Takumi_."

* * *

 **Chapter 21 ladies and gents. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **In one hour and fifteen minutes, it'll be Sept 7th aka the first day of school for me! Wish me luck~**

 **Sadly, I don't know when my next update will be, so stick with me kay? I tried to make this chapter longer than usual, but I dunno. 2,477 words is meh XD**

 **I'll update when I can, but y'know, school comes first! You're free to PM me whenever you'd like, chat about anything you want with me! I'm always up for that :)**

 **If you haven't noticed already, I put when I'm going to update my stories next at the top of my profile, so if you're ever curious just check up there.**

 **Alrighty, I'm off to bed now! Adios!**


	22. Cooking Up Some Trouble

**Normal P.O.V.**

"Misaki…" Takumi called groggily, rolling over onto his back and resting his arm above his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that the entire villa smelled like…something quite interesting. He couldn't exactly place his finger on exactly what, but it was very strong.

Shoving his blankets off him with his feet, Takumi parted his lips and let out a yawn. He threw his feet over the side of his bed and stood up. A smile touched his lips as he remembered what had happened the night before…

 _Flashback_

" _Takumi?" Misaki squeaked out, her head peeking in from his door which was left open only a crack. He sat at a desk only a few feet away from the door, so he easily heard her quiet voice._

" _Misaki?" he asked, turning his head towards her and giving her a quizzical look. He set down his black ballpoint pen after clicking it in. She stared at him wide eyed, as if half-hoping he hadn't heard her at all._

 _Misaki averted her gaze and instead stared the doorframe she suddenly found so-very-interesting._

" _Uhm, see, I-I kinda thought that maybe…" she stammered, trying to find the right words. Takumi raised an eyebrow, wondering what could be possibly so hard for her to say._

" _Maybe what?" he prompted. Even in the dark room with merely a lamp bright enough for him to write, he could see a visible blush on her face. This made him all the more curious._

" _E-Em, c-canIpleasesleepwithyoutonight?" she asked quickly. Now beyond embarrassed, she was internally hoping he would reject her offer now. Though, knowing him, he would never do that- not to mention, knowing her, she'd secretly be really disappointed anyway._

 _It was now Takumi's turn to give her a wide-eyed look, as he was obviously caught off guard by the sudden and uncharacteristic question. Don't get me wrong, he was happy- hell, she made his entire night -he was just shocked._

 _As surprised as he was, he quickly recovered. "Of course," he replied, a smile on his face at her shy behavior. He watched as Misaki slowly pushed the door open wide and awkwardly waddled in, her blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders and body._

 _Halfway across the room, she stopped and turned to him. They made eye contact for a few moments, before Takumi tilted his head to the side in confusion._

" _Is something the matter?" he inquired. She shook her head in reply._

" _N-No, I just need to make sure you know something," she responded, clearing her throat shortly afterwards as if she were about to tell a long speech. "I-I'm not sleeping in here because I want to or have a choice. I'm s-scared that the reporters will break in and kidnap me, okay?" she clarified._

 _Of course, Takumi was no idiot. He knew that she wasn't the least bit concerned about reporters breaking in and kidnapping her. She knew just as well as him that the idea itself was completely absurd._

" _Mhmm," he hummed, and Misaki's face turned redder at the fact that she even expected him to believe such a thing. Still, she stuck to her story. "That's right. You should sleep here with me tonight since we wouldn't want the reporters to kidnap you, now would we?" he mused. She huffed and turned away from him._

" _Idiot, that's what I just said. I-I'm going to go lay down now," she murmured, making her way to his large bed before flopping on it. She made herself comfortable on the soft mattress, and being surrounded by the scent of Takumi soothed her. Allowing her head to sink into the soft, clean white pillows, she hardly noticed the larger figure that was standing beside her._

" _Move over," he said. She didn't even bother to open her eyes as she lazily rolled over to the end of his bed and towards the wall._

 _Takumi climbed into the bed beside her, surprising her as he protectively wrapped his arm around her. Misaki's eyes snapped open instantly._

" _W-What are y-you doing…?" she stammered, her face turning redder by the second. He smirked._

" _Holding my girlfriend, what else?" he inquired innocently. "Though, it is kind of hard to do with those blankets wrapped around you." he added. Misaki made a small 'hmph' sound._

" _Good. I'm not taking them o-" she was about to reply defiantly, only to have him roughly pull the blankets away from her. She turned around and glared at him. "HEY! Do you want me to catch a cold or something?!" she accused. He chuckled._

" _Of course not," he responded genuinely, kicking the blankets off somewhere to the side. "That's why I'll warm Misaki up with my body~" he teased, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer towards him. She couldn't even bear to imagine how red her face looked now._

" _Y-You alien…don't say such misleading things…" she murmured. He chuckled._

" _Why? I was merely stating that I could warm you up with my hugs," he remarked. His lips curled into a teasing smirk. "Unless, you were thinking of something else?" he suggested. Misaki immediately struggled in his arms._

" _N-No! I wasn't! Now let go of me!" she protested. That only caused his grip on her to tighten._

" _No can do, Misaki," he replied curtly. "Now be a good girl and go to bed quietly." he instructed gently, bringing one of his hands from her waist up to her head. Threading his fingers through her silky raven hair, he could feel her begin to relax._

" _Let…go…" he could hear her weakly demand, though he knew well that she would fall asleep at any given moment now. It was around 1am, and she was exhausted. So was he, though he couldn't possibly fall asleep without knowing that she had safely and peacefully done so first._

 _And so, as a single snore from the raven haired girl reach his ears, he smiled. Leaning over and pecking her on the cheek, he whispered something._

" _I love you."_

 _End of Flashback_

"Takumi! TAKUMI!" he heard a familiar voice screech from downstairs. Misaki.

Instinctively, he ran downstairs as fast as he could. Horrible scenarios ran through his mind. _What if she cut her fingers off? Maybe she slipped and hit her head? Did someone break into the house?! Or maybe-_

"Takumi, help me! I burnt the toast!" she wailed, showing him a plate with two burnt slices of bread sitting on it. Well, that'd explain the horribly strong smell.

His eye twitched as he watched her poke at a piece of toast, causing it to make a loud crunching sound. He thought something horrible had happened to her, but it was just _burnt toast?_

"That's…all…?" he asked, glancing at the toast. Sure, it was pretty badly burnt, but it was nothing to overreact about. Misaki would hide the fact that she broke a bone or was in serious trouble, but wouldn't hesitate to scream and whine about burnt toast? Something didn't add up.

His suspicions were _unfortunately_ confirmed as she nervously glanced at her feet and laughed awkwardly.

"Uhm, yeah…about that…" she murmured, clearing her throat. "The toaster may or may not have caught on fire and I just _might've_ thrown it into the sink and made things a whole lot worse." she confessed. He stared at her with a blank expression.

"You…what…?" Takumi asked, his expression darkening by the second. She nervously laughed and held her hands out as if offering peace.

"Sorry?" she offered. Still, the expression on his face didn't change. Misaki frowned. "Look, I know that the toaster was probably really expensive, but don't worry! I'll pay for all of the damage I've done to the villa so don't worr-"

"Do you seriously think I'm concerned about some silly toaster?" he questioned, his face dead-serious. She froze, the feeling of his emerald eyes staring directly into her amber ones making her self-conscious and tense.

"Huh?" she asked stupidly, confused as to what he meant. Was he not going to forgive her…?

"I don't give a damn about that toaster! I could care less if you lit it on fire and tossed it out the window!" he exclaimed. Misaki's eyes widened. "I'm worried about _you_ , Misaki. Are you hurt anywhere?!" he asked, grabbing her wrist and pulling up her sleeves to inspect her arm.

"I…I'm fine," she replied. Normally, she would've yelled at him for touching her to suddenly like that, but she knew that he was really worried about her, and so decided to leave it be.

"Really, Misaki…I'm never letting you cook ever again. You could've really harmed yourself," he sighed. He took a deep breath in as if about to tell a long speech, which Misaki raised her eyebrow at. "You're not allowed to touch anything in this household that requires any heat." he declared.

Misaki immediately glared at him.

"You can't just suddenly decide that on your own! I promise I'll be more careful from now on, but Takumi-"

"No means no Misaki. I'll be doing all the cooking around here." he cut her off. She huffed.

"Fine, but can I use the curling iron and hair dryer at least?" she asked, trying to be reasonable here. Okay, so maybe she did almost burn down the kitchen and he _did_ have a perfectly valid reason not to trust her with cooking things. But hair products couldn't possibly count, could they?

"Misaki, repeat to me what I just said not too long ago." he responded. She rolled her eyes and grumbled something incoherent under her breath.

"You said that you'll be doing all the cooking around here," she replied. He raised an eyebrow.

"And what did I say before that?" he inquired. She glared at him.

"I'm not a child, Takumi! What the hell is this?!" she exclaimed. He simply stood there, completely calm.

"Misaki, answer my question," he said again. She bit back all her rude remarks and decided to go along with his dumb game for the moment.

"You said I can't touch anything in this household that requires heat," she replied. He nodded.

"Do curling irons and hair dryers require heat?" he prompted. She growled at him.

"Yes, but it's not the same! Do you flip hamburgers on a curling iron?! Do you cook grilled cheese sandwiches with a hair dryer?! Do you cook macaroni and cheese with a-"

"Misaki, yes or no?" he interrupted. She muttered a few… _colorful_ words towards him, before actually answering his question.

"Yes." she stubbornly replied. He smiled in satisfaction.

"So the answer is no. You cannot use them," he responded. "Besides, if you ever need help drying your hair after a shower, I'll always be able to assist you~" he teased. Her face turned red.

"Like hell I'll even let you stand close to me, pervert! Seriously, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow morning and burn the kitchen down for real this time before you can-mm!" she threatened, only to be silenced by his lips.

After knowing that she was too shocked to speak anymore, he pulled away and chuckled.

"There goes your plans for not letting me come close to you," he smirked. She stuck out her tongue at him childishly.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME JUST LIKE THAT, TAKUMI?! Well, you're wrong! I have a surprise for you, just wait and see!" she exclaimed, before dashing up to her bedroom in embarrassment and anger.

"I'll be looking forward to it, then," he said, not sure if she could even hear him anymore.

With that, he went to tidy up the kitchen and make them a proper breakfast.


	23. Misunderstood

**AYY GUESS WHAT I FINALLY UPDATED SECLUDED LOVERS IK IK.**

 **Okay apparently there's been a taddity tad bit of confusion. I am NOOOOOT discontinuing this story capisci? Long live Secluded Lovers, shall it never perish.**

 **Hey I never actually mentioned this but ArrowBee and I are birthday twinsies :') we were PMing one day and I was like yeah my birthday is March 7th then she was like OMG WHAAAAAAT M8 ME TOO~ (this was like a few months ago or something like that idk why I'm bringing it up now)**

 **And guess what? This story has over 20k views :') ilysm all of you**

 **Alrighty let's end my lil ramble here now. This chapter came out late enough already let's not delay it any further XD**

 **-o-**

"Alright…a little snip right here and…DONE!"

Misaki held up some fake ghosts she made from cloths, and a broom she disguised as a witch. She grinned as she imagined his reaction…

" _Misaki?" he called down the hall cautiously. He could sense a strange presence in the dark, narrow path. Squinting his eyes as if to see better, he took a few steps forward. "Misaki," he said once more, this time his voice slightly louder._

" _BOO!" Misaki exclaimed, revealing the "witch" from around the corner of the wall. Just at that moment, a cloth ghost fell onto his head. Takumi let out a girly squeal and his face paled considerably as he ran out of the dark hallway, completely defeated by Misaki Ayuzawa._

Misaki hummed a tune as she thought out the possible outcomes of her plan, but decided she definitely liked this one the most. She almost laughed as she thought about how funny it'd be to hear Takumi let out a _girly squeal._ That'd certainly be something new.

"Misaki, time for breakfast," she heard a voice say. She didn't need to think twice to know it was Takumi.

"I'll be down in a moment," she called back, quickly shoving all her supplies and props underneath her bed. Misaki smiled in satisfaction.

-o-

"Mmm…" Misaki let out a noise of happiness and contentment as she felt the fluffy egg practically melt in her mouth. Nothing like Takumi's cooking in the morning to start her day off on the right foot.

"Seriously, you enjoy my cooking far too much," Takumi chuckled. "But I'm glad you like it," he added.

Misaki decided not to respond to anything he said, but as soon as Takumi pulled her plate away from her she let out a squeal of protest. Her mouth was full, so quite frankly she couldn't say anything at the moment, and she was limited to only sounds.

Takumi smirked at her reaction, but still proceeded to take her fork from her right hand and stab a few pieces of scrambled eggs with it himself.

"Say aaah," he instructed playfully, letting the fork hover in front of her now empty mouth. She tried so hard to ignore the temptation, but the constant smell wafting from the food made it especially challenging.

Misaki refused to speak just in case he took the opportunity to shove the eggs into her mouth at that moment. He's definitely done that with his tongue while they were kissing sometimes.

Turning completely red from the memories of all the past times they've shared a kiss, she covered her face with her hands. _Gah, why am I thinking of this now of all times?!_

"Why are you blushing?" Takumi inquired. "Is being fed by me honestly that embarrassing?"

Misaki, of course, didn't want to tell him she'd been thinking about him, or he'd probably tease her even more about it. And so, our oh so _wise_ and _fast thinking_ Misaki blurted out the first answer that came to her head.

"Idiot. I was thinking about Tora."

Misaki immediately clasped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she'd just said. _Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

Takumi's expression darkened. He slowly set the fork down into the plate, little egg bits still stuck on the ends. Misaki nibbled her bottom lip nervously. She did _not_ mean to say that.

"Ahaha, um, Takumi, you know—" she started, only to freeze as she watched him pull out his chair and stand up. "W-Where are you going?" she inquired, now concerned. She'd really done it this time. _Ugh, why did I say that?! I could've just told him the truth, but no, I just had to tell my boyfriend I was blushing while thinking of another guy. Good job, Misaki. Good job._

"Upstairs," he replied curtly. "Why don't you go pay Tora a visit? Better yet, why don't you just go live with him?" he wore a smile, though his voice dripped with venom. Misaki visibly flinched from how harsh his tone was. _I really did hurt him, didn't I…_

"Oh, and by the way. If this was the surprise you were planning to give me, congratulations. Your plan worked. I'm thoroughly shocked and disappointed. Have fun."

"Takumi, no, wait," she called out, but it was too late. He was already halfway up the staircase, and he showed no sign of listening to her anytime soon. Misaki bit back tears of frustration. She hadn't meant for it to turn out like this. Hell, she hadn't meant to say something so fucking idiotic in the first place.

 _Why do I have to be so stubborn?_ she asked herself. Misaki wished she could go back in time and just reverse everything she said. At least when Charlotte visited, Takumi always told her he had no interest in her. But this time, Misaki basically directly told Takumi she had feelings for Tora. Which she _didn't,_ but in Takumi's mind she now did.

Groaning, Misaki stood up and kicked her chair over. She spun around and left the poor object lying there on the floor. Misaki grabbed her purse, phone, and slipped on her shoes. Stomping out the door, she made sure to close it with a loud slam to signal him that she left.

Misaki wandered around the area for a while. She didn't want to face Takumi at the moment. Not like he'd even allow her to talk to him right now. Normally, Misaki would've been a mess of tears and despair, but she was far to mad to even consider being in that state. She wasn't mad at Takumi—she was mad at herself.

"Misaki?" a voice asked. She immediately spun around.

Of course, standing a few feet away from her, was the last person she wanted to see.

"T-Tora," she stammered. Subconsciously, she took a few steps back away from him. "What are you doing here?"

Tora looked confused. "I'm here to do my job and deliver packages?" he offered. Misaki blinked.

"Oh," she said. "Uh, if that's all, then actually I'll be headed back home—"

"Wait, Misaki," he called. She tilted her head to the side quizzically.

"Yes?" she asked.

He held out a pretty large brown cardboard box towards her. "Do you know where this house is? I'm not familiar with this area," he inquired. Misaki leaned over to check the address.

"307 East Cheri Street and—" she froze. This was _her_ address. Who was sending her a package?

"What? Is something wrong?" he asked. Misaki shook her head.

"Uh, actually," she started, "this is where I live."

Tora looked surprised. "Oh, really? Then you should probably take this back with you, if it isn't too much of a hassle," he said. She nodded and extended her arms out to receive the box.

"I'll be perfectly fine. Thank you," she smiled. He shifted the box into her hands.

"No problem. Have a safe trip back!"

They both waved at each other, and as soon as Tora was out of sight, Misaki began walking home.

 _Sometimes I feel like it'd be easier to fall for a guy like Tora…_ Misaki thought, only to immediately push that idea out of her head. _But he's not the one you love. You love Takumi, and you need to clear things up with him as soon as possible,_ she told herself. That's when she decided that when she got home, she would go up to Takumi's room and apologize profusely.

Honestly, Misaki felt really bad. If he'd ever said that to her about Charlotte, she didn't even want to know how she'd react. Definitely way worse than he did though, that's for sure.

The difference between Misaki and Takumi being mad, was actually quite simple. When Misaki's mad, she yells, cries, punches the person who made her mad, and avoids them. While on the other hand, we have Takumi who remains _much_ more calm than the raven haired female, would only lay a hand on someone if they messed with a loved one of his, and even pretends nothing happened sometimes. Even when he pretends nothing occurred, he definitely still gives them the cold shoulder.

Misaki fished out her keys from her purse, unlocked the door, and made her way inside. She set down the package, kicked off her shoes, and hurriedly rushed upstairs.

She just hoped he'd forgive her.

 **-o-**

 **What do you think is in the package?~**

 **Okay is it just me or does angst make everything like ten times better? It's like adding salt to your food. You need that kick of something salty, but the saltiness enhances the entire flavor of the dish.**

 **You can practically hear how hungry I am lmao**

 **Anyway, since this chapter was kinda bad I will update soon! Maybe tomorrow even :') But yeah, sorry for not updating for so long!**


	24. Forgiveness

When Misaki reach the top of the staircase, she went to knock in Takumi's door—only to see that the bathroom light was on, which told her that he was in there. She heard the shower running as well, and so decided to confront him once he finished washing up. She wasn't about to barge into the bathroom and apologize to him.

A sudden image of a topless Takumi with nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his hips popped into Misaki's head, causing her to turn a bright red color. _Don't be a pervert like him, Misaki. Do not._

Forcing herself to think of something else, Misaki's mind wandered back to the package she'd gotten. What could that have possibly been? Maybe it'd be better to check now?

She quickly crept back downstairs, and as expected, the package was sitting there on the floor right where she'd left it previously when she arrived at home.

Strangely, it was a pretty large package. Obviously small enough for her to carry it home, but the size still got her wondering about the content inside. To top it all off, nowhere on the box did it say who _sent_ the package. _I hope there's nothing dangerous in here,_ Misaki prayed. She knew it was silly, but still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Misaki picked at the transparent packaging tape until the end lifted up a bit. She pulled it off, and almost cringed at the loud ripping sound. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she didn't want Takumi to know she was here right now. Even though she hadn't technically _done_ anything wrong, she was still nervous as hell to face him.

Misaki ripped open the side of the box, reach her hand inside, and eagerly though slightly cautiously pulled out something from inside…

…And it was another cardboard box, this one slightly smaller than the last. Misaki frowned, now beginning to wonder if this was just a prank. _He could be finishing up his shower any moment now…I need to hurry,_ Misaki told herself. Again, she did the same process as last time, peeling off the tape before opening the box.

This time, there was a very tiny box—maybe around the size of her palm, if that. Another difference was that this box wasn't cardboard—it was black and almost velvety. Curiously, Misaki lifted the top to the box. Only then did she realize that it was a ring box.

Inside was a beautiful ring with a thin sterling silver band encrusted with small rhinestones, and a single gem in the middle. with two different colors swirled together in the middle—pink and amber. _This must've been so expensive. I'll return it back to whoever sent it to me when I figure out who did it in the first place…_

Misaki then noticed that taped to the inside of the top there was a note. She gently took it out and read it.

 _Hey Misaki! Hope you're enjoying your little private time with Takumi ;) Haha, but in all seriousness, you do realize you only have a little under a month there right? Well, that's besides the point. I bought this ring for you since it reminds me of both of us—the colors don't quite match, just like our personalities, but we're still the bestest of friends! And don't worry about the cost. I know you're worrying. Love ya! From Sakura~_

Misaki smiled. Sakura knew her so well. Deciding to abide by her wishes and not return it, she decided to wear it. _I wonder if one day Takumi and I will be engaged and get married…?_ she wondered, causing herself to blush once more, but still wasn't against the idea.

She then grinned at the thought, and almost mindlessly slid the jewelry onto her left hand ring finger. Just for a little while, she wanted to pretend she was Takumi's fiancée. Even if he _was_ mad at her right now.

Misaki almost instinctively started walking towards the steps as soon as she heard silence. The water had turned off in the bathroom, so she knew he was finishing up his shower.

Walking up the stairs, Misaki purposely went up at a slow pace. She was buying herself a bit of time to think about what she was going to say to him when she saw him.

As soon as Misaki heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, she began to make her way up the stairs at a quicker pace. She wanted to face him now since she was most confident right now—also, showers make everyone feel better, right? So he should be in a better mood when they talk?

The first thing Misaki saw when she reach the top of the staircase was the all-too-familiar tall and handsome figure she'd grown to love. Takumi. Her face turned red at the sight of him—not because she was nervous—well, she _was_ nervous, but the reason for her flushed face was because he looked exactly like he did in her mind earlier.

Wet, blonde hair with beads of water shimmering at the tips of it, only enhancing the golden hue and making it look even more amazing on him. Of course, she hadn't missed the fact that he wasn't dressed at all. She forced herself to rip her eyes away from his abs. She turned an even darker red color upon seeing that the only thing keeping her from seeing him fully nude was the white towel wrapped around his hips. To make it even worse—or better—one side of the towel was slowly slipping down and revealing more of his hip, leaving more than just a little to Misaki's imagination.

Finally, she glanced at his face. No wonder he hasn't cracked a single joke nor perverted remark. She was surprised to see that he looked even angrier than before. His emerald eyes showed obvious traces of fury, pain, and _disappointment_ in them, and even though he was definitely mad earlier, he didn't look like _this_. He wasn't even looking directly at her, but instead at something else beside her it seemed. Wasn't a little bit of time supposed to make everything better?

"...Takumi…?" she asked hesitantly, no longer embarrassed about the fact that he was practically naked in front of her, but that he was obviously very, very angry. His eyes were narrowed, and that's when she noticed that he was focusing on something. She tried to follow where he was looking, but couldn't. It almost looked like he was staring at her hand, but that made no sense.

… _Hold up._

Misaki glanced at her left hand—the hand he'd been staring at—and gulped. She immediately turned to him to explain.

"Takumi, you don't understand—"

"You're engaged," Takumi stated. It wasn't true, obviously, but he thought it was. "Congratulations," he told her, although his tone said otherwise. Then, without warning, he walked into his room and disappeared without another word.

Misaki gaped at what had just occurred. Determined not to let this continue on, she followed after him. She twisted the doorknob, and luckily he didn't lock the door, so she easily pushed it open.

"Takumi, please, you don't understa—" Misaki started, only to freeze upon seeing him in the process of untying the towel around his waist. "U-Uh, sorry!" she exclaimed, before slamming the door shut. Luckily, she hadn't seen anything. Had she come in even a few seconds later she would've gotten a good view of… _something._

She waited outside his door for a good two minutes or so before he walked out, this time fully clothed. He wore a white t-shirt along with some baggy shorts.

"What do you want?" he asked impassively as if he didn't care about her one bit. She felt chest tighten at the thought.

Misaki took a deep breath. "Um, about the ring," she started, twisting it off her finger and instead placing it on her right hand middle finger. "I-I'm not engaged."

He rose an eyebrow. "And?"

"And…I don't like Tora," she confessed.

"But you went to go visit him not too long ago?" Takumi seemed confused by now. Misaki shook her head.

"I just went for a walk," she said. His face relaxed. "But I happened to run across Tora," she _had_ to add, causing his eyebrows to furrow in frustration once more.

"So you _did_ go to see him."

Realizing her mistake, she immediately said, "No, I didn't."

"Then why did you—"

"Takumi, the only person I love and would ever even _consider_ marrying is you!" she blurted.

 _...Oops._

Misaki let out a nervous laugh. "Ahaha. A-As you were saying…?" she tried to change the subject. Did she just seriously tell him that she was considering marrying him?

Takumi's eyes were wide, though he still wasn't fully convinced. "But what about earlier? You had a ring on your left hand ring finger," he said. Misaki blushed, not quite wanting to tell him this story.

"I, um, see, Sakura gave it to me as a friendship ring and I just suddenly thought of m-marriage…" she gulped, "and our future and stuff, so, uh, I guess you could say I acted out an idea that came to my mind…?" she offered.

"What was the idea?" he inquired. Misaki knew she was forgiven the moment she saw a small and very discreet smirk playing along his lips. It was barely noticeable, but definitely there.

She turned redder at this. "Y-You and, uh, me—I mean, I, were e-engaged, a little bit," she stammered. Then, finally, he pulled her into his chest for a hug.

"A little bit engaged?" Takumi chuckled. "You're an interesting one," he observed.

Misaki felt tears stinging at her eyes in relief. He forgave her. "I-Idiot…!" she cried. "I thought you'd be mad at me forever!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his torso. Misaki knew this was very unlike her, but just for the moment, she didn't exactly care.

"I thought I lost you to that green-haired brat," he murmured, burying his face into her hair. Misaki sighed.

"He's really not all that bad…"

"His hair looks like a bunch of snot and dead caterpillars bunched up into one monstrosity," Takumi continued. Misaki stared at him in horror.

"Dead caterpillars and snot?" she crinkled her nose in disgust. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?"

He nipped at her neck, earning a small squeak out of the raven haired female. "I'm a very possessive person," he said.

"I-I don't see how that has anything to do with my question," she rolled her eyes at him, as he continued to trail small butterfly kisses along her neck and jawline.

"I love you, Misaki," he said, still completely ignoring her earlier statements.

Deciding to speak the truth this time and not blurt out some retarded answer like "I love Tora" and get herself into another argument with her boyfriend, she spoke, "I love you too."


	25. Post-Shower Romance

**This chapter goes out to my bae bee (aka ArrowBee~) since she mentioned a scene like this in one of her reviews ;)**

 **-o-**

"Mmm…"

Misaki shifted slightly, stretching her arms and legs as she groaned, being extra careful as to not to hit Takumi in the face.

She smiled and cuddled back into his arms. Misaki noticed that recently she'd been waking up in his bed pretty often, which got her wondering if she'd even be able to sleep properly on her own when they left this villa.

Misaki blushed at her own thoughts. _Of course you'll be perfectly fine without him! Gosh Misaki, when have you become so reliant on this guy?!_ she scolded herself, only to remember that "this guy" was her boyfriend that cared about her and loved her more than the world. A smile managed to sneak onto her face once again.

Her attention immediately shifted to his face as she noticed him squint his eyes before they fluttered open. Of course, his signature smirk was plastered on his face by now at the fact that she had been staring at him.

"Morning," he greeted, bringing her closer to him—if that was even physically possible.

"M-Morning."

 **-o-**

 _Ding dong!_

Misaki hopped up from the couch immediately upon hearing their doorbell ring.

"Who is it?" Takumi called from the kitchen. He was currently cooking French toast covered in a light drizzle of maple syrup, along with a small fruit salad. The mouthwatering smells wafted throughout the room, and just as any other day, Misaki tried not to think about it too much or else either her stomach would get too responsive and growl up a storm, or she'd end up drooling.

"I'm checking," she called back, making her way quickly towards the door. She unlocked the front door and pulled it open, revealing a deliveryman with a small box in his hands.

"Package for Misaki Ayuzawa," he informed, holding out a small clipboard with a paper for her to sign. Misaki raised an eyebrow. Hadn't she just received a package yesterday?

Nevertheless, she took the pen that was attached to the clipboard with a brown piece of string and scribbled her signature at the bottom. She took the package from him and thanked him before he left.

This box was significantly smaller than the one she'd gotten yesterday. It was maybe the size of her palm at the largest. Again, it had no name of the sender on it. Great.

"Misaki? Who was it?" Takumi asked. Misaki walked to the kitchen and showed the small cardboard box to him.

"I'm not sure," she replied. She shook the box and almost jumped in surprise at the sound of it rattling. "Beads? I have no clue," she concluded, setting it down on the table.

Takumi finished cooking the last slice of French toast and slid it onto a plate. "Well, why don't you see for yourself?" he inquired. Misaki glanced at him suspiciously.

"Do you have something to do with this?" she asked skeptically. He raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.

"Not that I know of. Is it your birthday soon or something?" he wondered aloud. Only then did they realize that neither of them knew the other's birthday.

"Nope. My birthday's on the 29th of September," she responded, before flickering her eyes his way in a questioning manner. He took the hint and answered his own question.

"April 27th," he spoke. Misaki nodded in understanding, letting out a sigh of relief as she realized she hadn't missed his birthday. "Aren't you going to open the box?"

Misaki shrugged. "I'll open it later," she said, leaning over in interest, watching him peel and slice a kiwi. "What'cha making?" she asked casually.

"French toast and a fruit salad for my favorite girl," he teased, leaning over and placing a small kiss on her nose. She squeaked and hopped back in surprise. He chuckled at her reaction.

"Y-You…" she started, hovering her fingers in front of her nose.

"Me?" he inquired, tilting his head to the side, feigning confusion.

"You're a pervert," she concluded. He pouted.

"Is loving my adorable girlfriend perverted?" he inquired, dropping a handful of kiwi slices into a bowl before sliding the extra bits off the knife. Misaki blushed, but chose to stay quiet since she was embarrassed and didn't exactly have any comeback for that. "Time to eat," he told her, handing her a plate.

 **-o-**

Misaki stared at the object in her hand. She was currently standing in her bathroom, and after opening her package she was…stunned, to say the least. Stunned wouldn't be quite the word to describe what she was feeling—it was more of a _what the actual fuck_ moment.

Misaki held an orange pill container full of, get this, _birth control pills._ She didn't even know where to start. To make this entire situation about a hundred times more awkward, it wasn't Sakura who sent it as a joke. No siree.

It was Misaki's mother.

Yeah, you know, that mother she didn't have time to visit for months? The first interaction she's had with her in a while was _this._ Misaki pretty much concluded that this was the worst present you could receive from a parent ever. She couldn't figure out the meaning behind it!

And guess what? Even better, her mom attached a note to the small bottle.

 _ **Misaki :)**_

 _ **I know you're a big girl now and when you live with an attractive male, those kinds of activities are inevitable. Stay safe!**_

 _ **Love, Mom.**_

It was strange how almost _excited_ her mom sounded about this. Misaki was beyond embarrassed and definitely did _not_ want to show this to Takumi or he'd never let her live it down.

Misaki sighed and tucked the "gift" into her pocket, before deciding to destress herself with a shower.

 **-o-**

"Ahh," Misaki sighed, feeling quite blissful after her warm and quite relaxing shower. She stepped out of she shower, noting that the heavenly warmth fogged up all the mirrors.

Misaki gently squeezed the excess water out of her hair, before patting it down with a towel. Once it was slightly damp, but not sopping wet, she reach in a cabinet below their sink for the hair dryer.

Except it wasn't there.

Continuing her search, Misaki bent down to look around in the compartment. She couldn't see nor feel the orange hair dryer anywhere. _Maybe Takumi's using it?_ she wondered, only to remember they had two hair dryers in this house—one for each bathroom—so he shouldn't have had to take this one.

Just in case, she wrapped a towel around her slim figure and crept out the door. Quickly and quietly, she rushed over to the other bathroom. Somehow, she felt like a spy—or maybe more like a teenage girl sneaking back home after staying out two hours past her curfew without informing her parents. Either or.

After searching through the cabinet in the other bathroom, and as expected, finding no hair dryer, Misaki was thoroughly annoyed by now and made her way back to her bedroom to get dressed. _I swear, if Takumi's pranking me, he's going to get it,_ Misaki promised herself.

As she walked out of the bathroom, Misaki almost shrieked in fear as she came face to face with a tall, blonde man—also known as Takumi Usui. Well, not exactly face to face since he _was_ significantly taller than her, but nonetheless it scared the living shit out of her.

Misaki quickly gripped the towel tightly as to make sure it didn't slip down and reveal more skin than it needed to. Why did all these embarrassing events need to happen to her all in one day?!

"Um, can I help you?" Misaki inquired. She didn't mean to sound so sarcastic, but it came out that way since she was currently really nervous and semi-embarrassed even though nothing really big actually happened.

"No," he responded. Just as Misaki was about to go off on him and tell him to move away then and stop being a pervert, he added, "But I believe _I_ can help _you_."

She rose an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" came her reply. "I don't exactly require assistance at the moment."

Takumi smirked. "You sure about that?" he asked, tauntingly raising up the orange hair dryer she'd been practically turning the house upside down looking for.

Misaki gasped. "You _were_ pulling a prank on me!" she exclaimed. "Give it here," she instructed, holding her hand out for him to pass it to her.

"No can do," he responded curtly. Misaki furrowed her brows.

"Why not?"

"Oh? So, I suppose you don't recall almost burning down this entire villa the other day?" he chuckled. Misaki froze.

"...Takumi, stop it. You're not serious right now, are you?" she frowned.

He, on the other hand, grinned. "Dead serious, honey."

Misaki groaned. She couldn't believe he was acting so childish. "Takumi!"

"Yes, love?"

She chose to ignore the nickname—for now—and focus on retrieving the hair dryer. "I need to dry my hair," she said.

He licked his upper lip, which sent shivers down her spine, as he suggested something which would in most other situations end him up with a bruised eye.

"I can help you with that."

 **-o-**

"Stop staring at me, you pervert…"

And so, that's how just a few minutes later, Misaki Ayuzawa found herself sitting in the bathroom with her boyfriend drying her hair. She did have to admit, it did feel really nice having someone else do this for you every now and then. Not to mention that he was actually _really_ good at it. _Like he is at everything,_ Misaki added in her head.

"I just can't help it. You look so beautiful and your hair flowing around only tempts me further," he teased. Misaki blushed.

"Shut up and just dry my hair," she demanded. He put on his poker face

"Yes ma'am."

For a few moments, Misaki and Takumi were silent. It was just the blowing of the hair dryer—which had strangely gotten much weaker all of a sudden—and their gentle breaths.

"A-Ah," Misaki stammered in surprise. "I said dry my hair, not my ear!" she exclaimed, turning her head abruptly. That's when she saw the hair dryer pointed downwards towards the floor, and his face incredibly close to hers.

He licked his upper lip seductively, while Misaki turned a dark red color. That's when she realized he'd been blowing in her ear, and it wasn't the hair dryer.

"Takumi!" she said in a scolding manner. He grinned.

"Yes, lo—"

"I _swear_ , Takumi, if you use that response one more time I will kick you in the spot where the sun does _not_ shine," she threatened. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Have mercy," he said jokingly. He knew that if he actually tried to prevent it, she wouldn't be able to lay a hand on him, so her threats and warnings never exactly made him fearful. He thought it was quite cute when she got mad, actually.

"Then behave yourself," she huffed. He smirked.

"I'm still upset that you had to put clothes on…I would've much rathered drying your hair with the towel on. Or if you didn't like that, maybe with nothi—"

Misaki abruptly stood up. She'd previously put on some clothing, to prevent any embarrassing situations. Just because she let him do a favor for her, didn't mean that she wasn't taking precautions. Well, to her standards, getting her hair dried by him was already embarrassing by itself, but she wanted to avoid any _extra_ additions that could land her in a humiliating position.

"I-I'm leaving now, you pervert! Air drying is better for your hair anyway," she exclaimed, reaching for the doorknob, only to hear the hair dryer turn off and his arms wrap around her slender waist. Misaki's face heated up.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry. Now please sit down and I'll do my job properly," he apologized, and she could tell from his tone that he meant it.

"A-Alright. But one more inappropriate remark from you and—"

"Yes yes, you'll kick me _there_ and leave the bathroom, leaving me here to suffer and relish in the pain alone," he grinned knowingly. Misaki blushed _again_ for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"I'm not _that_ cruel…" she murmured. Takumi turned the hair dryer back on and parted her hair to the side.

"Mhmm," he hummed sarcastically, blowing her slightly less damp hair around with the tool, watching her raven locks fly around.

Deciding he'd teased her enough for one day, and also because he was a man of his word, Takumi did his job properly and stopped messing around…kind of.

The occasional, warning tone of Misaki saying "Takumi!", and sometimes even followed by a slap, could still be heard from outside of the room. But still, no matter how much Misaki tried to deny it, she really did enjoy and cherish moments like these.


	26. Bloody Accidents

**No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That's right. Mikanlove (aka me) decided to finally get off her lazy ass and write another chapter!**

 ***trumpets play and confetti flies across the room***

 **I feel bad because I don't even know what this chapter is. It's not even that good so dnsifjejfjkso hope you enjoy?**

 **-o-**

"Ugh…I was dreading this day."

Misaki Ayuzawa sat in her bathroom on the edge of her bathtub, seriously contemplating her life at the moment.

Well, it's not like it was the end of the world, it would just be an… _inconvenience_ for Misaki, I guess you could say.

Sighing, the raven haired girl reluctantly walked over to her sink and crouched down. Opening the cabinet below, she immediately dove her hand in and started searching for the item she needed.

"Where are they…?" she murmured, peeking in and discovering a messy cabinet overflowing with unnecessary assortments of shampoos and conditioners, but _not what she was looking for._ "I'm sure I brought them, right?" she asked herself, trying to think back to when she was packing.

" _Suzuna, where's my black watch?" the elder sister asked, scanning the room. Suzuna glanced around and spotted it easily._

" _It's right there underneath your pillow," she responded. Misaki turned around and smiled at the sight of it._

" _Ah, thanks!" she exclaimed, walking towards the bed and picking it up. "Better finish packing," she said. Suzuna nodded in agreement._

" _Yes, you should. I already packed all of your bathroom supplies by the way—a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and things like hair spray, your hair curler and straightened, your hair dryer, and…oh, tweezers and some razors. They should have those sample shampoos and conditioners they have at hotels." she listed. Misaki grinned gratefully._

" _Thanks a ton. I just need to pack my clothes and I'll be done, then," she said, happy to be almost finished._

 _...Or maybe I didn't,_ she thought hopelessly. How could she forget something as essential as that?! Why would that Hirayama guy fill her cabinets with hair products but nothing else?!

"This is _not_ happening," she breathed. "I can't believe it. There's no substitute for this kind of thing either!" she exclaimed, her fingers threaded through her hair in frustration.

"What's wrong?" a familiar and silky voice came from behind her. She jumped at the sudden noise and instinctively spun around to face the offender. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"T-Takumi?" she asked in disbelief. "How did you get in?!" she gasped, wondering if he knew how to pick locks. Maybe he really was a pervert after all!

Her wild ideas were soon put to rest as he chuckled. "You left the door unlocked," he simply said. She started at him, her mouth agape.

"And _why_ does that give you a good reason to come in?" she countered, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him. He smirked.

"Because I heard my adorable girlfriend yelling in frustration and came to help," he replied as if it were the most obvious and normal thing in the world. She sighed in disbelief.

"Still, what if I were taking a shower or something?!" she exclaimed. That was, indeed, very likely. She immediately regretted asking the question when she realized that his answer would probably be something along the lines of " _I would join Misaki in the shower"_ or even maybe " _I'd sit there and watch her then"._

"Then I'd have left. After checking that you were okay, of course," he answered, completely surprising her. Don't get the wrong idea, she wasn't _hoping_ for a perverted response, but after living with Takumi for over a month, you've gotta expect things like that.

"Don't lie, Takumi. You would _not_ have left." she accused, lifting one of her eyebrows knowingly. He chuckled in response.

"Hmm? Would my cute little girlfriend like that?" he inquired teasingly. She blushed.

"N-No, you creep! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD _LIKE_ THAT?!" Misaki yelled.

He pretended to think. "Hmm…you?"

Takumi soon found himself face to face with a door, of course after being pushed out of the bathroom none too gently.

"Leave me alone!" Misaki demanded, and from outside the bathroom Takumi could hear her tearing something—probably toilet paper—before a loud banging sound echoed throughout the room.

Concerned, Takumi asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed, almost sounding exasperated. "Everything's perfect. I couldn't be _any better,_ " she said, and anyone could hear the sarcasm practically dripping from her tone.

Takumi knocked on the door. "Hey, Misaki? I'm sorry, I won't tease you anymore, but what's wrong?" he wondered what was making her so irritable.

Instead of receiving an answer, he got the door smashed into his face…again.

Misaki promptly stomped out of the bathroom. "I'm going out and—oh my gosh, Takumi! Your nose is bleeding!" she exclaimed, hurriedly rushing back into the bathroom and stealing the roll of toilet paper.

Ripping a generous amount off the roll, she carefully pinched his nose with the tissue, noting that he had some blood staining his left cheek.

Takumi gently patted her hand in thanks, before taking the tissue from her and cleaning the blood from his face. Misaki looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, watching as he shook his head to tell her he wasn't mad.

"It's okay. Accidents happen," he responded, his voice slightly higher than usual from his nose being squeezed.

For a while, there was silence. Takumi soon took the tissue away from his nose, since it was done bleeding, and tossed it in the trash. Misaki was surprised at how good his aim was, but at the same time, she wanted to gag at the small glimpse of the blood she saw, since it reminded her of her own problems she was having at the moment.

"Uh, Takumi," she said. He gave her a questioning look, which prompted her to continue. "I, uh, I need to buy something. Are there any stores nearby?" she inquired. He seemed to think for a moment before responding.

"Well, the closest one is about half an hour away. This is a pretty secluded area," he said, before cocking his head in confusion. "Why?"

Misaki seemed hesitant to tell him the answer. "...I forgot to pack an essential of mine."

He still didn't get the hint. "What essential? I might have it," he said. Misaki almost wanted to laugh at the thought of Takumi carrying around pads and tampons, but any happiness she felt at the moment quickly dissipated as a sharp cramp pierced through her abdomen, causing Misaki to double over in pain.

"Ouch," she hissed, clutching at her poor stomach. Takumi worriedly wrapped his arms around her and massaged her stomach where he assumed it hurt at the moment since she was gripping it and moaning in pain.

"Are you okay?!" he demanded. If someone hurt his Misaki, he would find them, and they would _pay._

"Don't worry about it," she said, almost cringing at the thought of having to throw away her underwear later. It was a pretty nice pair, too. "Can we please just go to the store _quickly_?" she requested.

"Misaki, please tell me why—"

"I'm going on my own," she sighed, spinning on her heel and taking slow steps away, secretly hoping he'd agree to come with.

"Wait, Misaki," he called. Her heart skipped a beat at how her name rolled off his tongue, and wondered if maybe he changed his mind about going after all.

"Yes?" she inquired, stopping in her tracks, though not bothering to turn around and face him. She was ready to tell him "well, you can tag along if you'd like," when he said something entirely different.

"There's a red stain on your pants," he deadpanned. Misaki's face immediately heated up as she turned around to hide the stain from him.

"W-Wha—"

Takumi cut her off with a sigh. "You're on your period, right?" he asked shamelessly. Misaki just stood there, face flushed, as she nodded hesitantly. "Stay here," Takumi said, walking out of the room to god-knows-where.

Misaki allowed herself to relax a little once he was out of sight, as she inwardly grimaced at the fact he had to see that, yet also somewhat glad that he was so calm and collected about it. Maybe he wasn't such a big perverted dummy after all.

A couple minutes passed before Misaki heard footsteps approaching her bedroom. Her eyes darted towards her door, and as if on cue, a blonde figure walked in.

"H-Hey," she greeted, still slightly cautious due to earlier events.

"Hey," he responded. "You know, you could've just told me about _that,_ " he said, tossing an object her way. She caught it instinctively, the familiar crinkling sound beneath her fingers immediately giving it away.

"Woah, you went to the store and back in barely two minutes?!" Misaki exclaimed, gripping onto the pink packaged item and staring at Takumi in disbelief. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I had this in my suitcase with me. A whole pack, actually," he said, revealing an opened box of pads. Misaki turned red once again.

"Y-You pervert! Why are you carrying around something like that?!" she shrieked, feeling like she saw something she shouldn't have.

Takumi feigned a look of confusion. "You carry them around, so why can't I?" he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Misaki's eye twitched, now beginning to question whether or not he was just pushing her buttons or straight-up dumb as hell.

"THAT'S BECAUSE I'M A GIRL WHO CAN ACTUALLY USE THESE KINDS OF THINGS, IDIOT!" she yelled, feeling quite stupid for even having to explain such a thing. Takumi smirked.

"Yes yes, I'm aware. Now quit stalling and go do your thing," he said.

 **-o-**

Misaki walked out of the bathroom, her eyes glued to the floor. Takumi reach out to pat her head, only to quickly grow worried when she avoided his hand, not saying a word.

"Misaki?" he asked.

Her eyes still remained fixated on the floor, which he assumed was to avoid eye contact, though she responded with a, "Yeah?"

He hesitated, before asking, "Are you okay?"

Misaki glanced up at him, teary-eyed, and that's when he knew something had happened. Almost panicking, he grabbed her by the wrist and inspected her for injuries.

"What happened? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, sighing in relief when seeing no visible scratches or bruises. Misaki frowned.

"You," she said simply. Takumi raised an eyebrow.

"Me? Did I do something wrong?" he inquired.

Little did he know that this simple question would set off Misaki.

She sniffled. "Y-You got t-the pads from Charlotte!" Misaki accused. "If you didn't love me, you could just tell me, you know. Sure my feelings would be a little bit hurt, or actually, a lot bit hurt, but that obviously doesn't matter too much to you considering you've been cheating on me with Charlotte!" she rambled, her eyes shining with tears. Takumi blinked in disbelief.

"What? That's outrageous, how would Charlotte even have given me the pads?" he reasoned with her. Misaki stared him dead in the eye.

"She accidentally left them in your room when she visited last, didn't she? While she set down her stuff and you guys d-did stuff together in your room, she forgot to take them back," Misaki rambled. Meanwhile, the blonde was wondering how delusional she really was.

"Misaki," he said, being careful to pick and choose his words correctly. "I didn't cheat on you with Charlotte."

"Explain the pads then," she said, wiping her tear-filled eyes with her sleeves. Takumi approached her, before embracing her and drying her tears for her.

"You silly girl," he chuckled. "I had those as backup from the start. I knew I was going to be living with a female, and so came prepared. Which, just saying, obviously proved to come in handy," he explained. Misaki suddenly felt guilty for throwing random accusations at him for no reason.

"I'm sorry. I'm being so unreasonable right now," she sighed, burying her face into his shoulder. "And, um, thanks for…you know," she said, grateful for the fact that he'd practically saved her life—well, in her eyes, at least.

"Shh," he hushed soothingly. "There's nothing to be sorry for, and you're welcome," he said.

Misaki's lips curled into a smile. Maybe periods weren't so bad after all.


	27. Resolutions

**Alrighty...time to address an issue from last chapter.**

 **So, as you probably know, I wrote about Misaki on her period. It was supposed to be a simple, cute takumisa chapter, but I got reactions (one reaction in particular, actually, that is making me write this A/N) that were a bit...uncalled for.**

" **You fucking sexist pig i bet you never have dealed with periods how dare you say their not bad. Just die."**

 **There it is. The review that has been bothering me. Of course, it was written by a guest, because people actually not being cowards and leaving these reviews with their FFN account? Pfft, that's unheard of.**

 **First off, I am an adolescent female. I have dealt with them, and all their many inconveniences, so please don't speak for me.**

 **Second, you should never tell anyone to kill themselves. EVER. Especially not over a small matter such as a fanfic. Like, if they hurt your family, alright, you have the right to be pissed and say some hurtful things, but not because I said periods aren't the worst things that could happen. Because, and I'll wait for the triggered people to review, they're not. They're really not.**

 **I've said this to ArrowBee and I'll say it again, I'm sure if you had a super hot and loving boyfriend that took care of you when you were on your period, you probably wouldn't think they were too horrible, either. Just give that some thought.**

 **On that same note, I'd like to acknowledge all the positive reviews, as well, which GREATLY outweighed the negative ones, so thank you to: Padfoot Starfyre, Kitsune PI, tatzecom, Candy2045, ArrowBee, Takumisa17, Tsuray, Amber83, violet167, LisaXShun, Knight Lynx, Minniemiss123, and a kind guest that watches Yuri on Ice. :))**

 **-o-**

Misaki woke up the next morning to her phone ringing. She reached out onto the nightstand to answer it, only to realise that she was in Takumi's bed, and that the nightstand was on his side. She turned red as she recalled last night's occurrences…

 _It was around eleven at night, as the raven haired girl tossed and turned in her soft bed, unable to sleep. Her stomach was killing her, frequent jabbing-like cramps making it impossible to get any rest. Frustrated, she kicked off the sheets from her body, deciding that if she focused on something else, she could wear herself out enough to the point where she automatically fell asleep._

 _So, Misaki decided that she'd warm up a glass of milk, and go for a short walk behind their villa. That'd definitely do the trick._

 _Misaki quietly escaped from her room, scurrying downstairs and into the unnecessarily large kitchen. She grabbed a jug of milk from the refrigerator, filling her favorite red mug until it was about two-thirds the way full, before warming it in the microwave for a few moments._

 _Taking a sip of the milk, she was ready to head outside for a walk to clear her mind, when she saw a shadow a distance away from the kitchen._

" _T-Takumi?" she cautiously called, wondering if maybe he couldn't sleep and was up as well. She began to panic when she recieved no response, and the shadow began to grow bigger._

 _Now officially signing out of her life, the glass slipped from Misaki's shaky hands as she dashed upstairs to her bedroom, shattering loudly on the marble floor, small glass and clay pieces flying everywhere. Then, realizing that the figure could easily corner her in the room and she was just making kidnapping her a whole lot easier for him, she instinctively made her way to Takumi's door, only to bump into him halfway down the hallway._

 _She let out a shrill shriek, thinking it was the shadowy figure, repeatedly saying "D-Don't hurt me! Leave me alone!"_

 _Takumi immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug, and only by his gentle touch and familiar scent did Misaki realize it was her boyfriend and not some kidnapper._

" _Are you okay? I heard glass breaking earlier. Did you drop something? Are you injured at all—"_

 _He was caught off guard by Misaki suddenly throwing her arms around his neck, clinging onto him like her life depended on it._

" _Misaki? What's wrong?" he asked. She sniffled._

" _T-There's a kidnapper downstairs...I think…" she whispered. Takumi, instantly assuming the worst and being on alert, gripped her tighter._

" _What? Did you see them? Are they out to get you?" he asked. "Why would they break into our house for a person?"_

 _Misaki shook her head. "N-No, well, I-I saw a shadow...I-It was moving towards me in the k-kitchen," she explained, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down._

 _Takumi blinked a few times, before a small smile appeared on his face. he should've known it was her silly, yet in his opinion adorable, fears. No longer worried about any robber or kidnapper, he took her hand in his and lead her downstairs._

 _Arriving at the kitchen, he saw a moving shadow. Misaki yelped and grabbed his upper arm firmly, trying to prevent him from getting closer. Takumi gently shook it off, walking to the corner of the room and flipping on the lightswitch. Both of them flinched at the sudden brightness, eyes squinted._

" _See?" he said, knowingly. "There's nobody here."_

" _B-But what about—"_

 _Takumi wandered back to her, patting her head caringly. "I believe you were looking at the curtains, silly girl," he chuckled. Misaki glanced at them, noticing that the window was open a bit, allowing the breeze to blow the thin curtains around. She blushed at her extreme overreaction._

" _Sorry...guess I woke you up for nothing, huh?" she asked sheepishly, her eyes glued onto the floor. That's when she noticed the previously shattered glass. "And created a mess…" she sighed._

 _Takumi followed her line of vision, noticing that she was talking about the broken mug. He clicked his tongue, before going to grab a broom and dustpan to clean the glass up. Upon seeing her guilty expression, he assured her, "Really, it's fine. You did nothing wrong, Misaki. You were simply scared."_

 _After the glass got cleaned, Misaki still couldn't go to sleep, and after shyly admitting it to Takumi, he brought her to his room. Of course, cuddling with Takumi made her grow sleepy quickly, and she found herself snoozing before she even knew it._

Misaki shook her head to snap herself out of her thoughts. Right now, she had a mission—answer the phone. She diligently slipped off the bed, tiptoeing around and nearer to Takumi, before taking the phone in her grasp and rushing outside to answer it. She didn't know why she felt the need to be so quiet and secretive, but she did anyway just for good measure.

Sliding the green phone icon to the right, Misaki pressed the iPhone against her ear.

Meanwhile, Takumi reached out, arms ready to grab Misaki and bring her closer to him, when he felt nothing but air. Wondering if he fell on the floor by accident while sleeping, he popped one eye open to find that he was still on his white mattress...just that Misaki was missing.

Groaning in displeasure, he sat up and stretched his arms. He really wanted to sleep in with Misaki, but he didn't want to leave her alone longer than necessary. Knowing her, she might actually keep her burning down the kitchen promise, as well.

"Ah…Director Hirayama? Yes, hello, sir," she greeted from outside the door, clear enough for Takumi to still hear. This certainly caught Takumi's attention, a small smirk creeping up onto his face as he mentally planned out a fun game for himself.

Creeping up behind her, Takumi lazily traced his index finger along Misaki's jawline, and in reply, she spun around, hand over the microphone section of her phone as she hissed to him, "Takumi, cut it out!"

He simply gave her a wolf-like grin, and something about the mischievous glint in his eye told her he wasn't about to stop anytime soon. She shot him a look. Two could play at game.

" _Ah, Misaki! Glad you're awake,"_ he said from the other line. Misaki nervously grinned, aware that he couldn't see her, trying her best to ignore the fact that Takumi was gently grazing her earlobe with his teeth, nibbling on it every few times.

"Y-Yeah," she stammered. "Why would I be?" she laughed. Misaki could only pray that he didn't want to create small talk for much longer, because she wasn't sure if she could keep herself composed.

" _Oh, it's usually a little early for lovers to be up at a time like this,"_ he commented. Misaki gritted her teeth as Takumi began to trail kisses along her upper jaw, then down her neck.

"A-Ahaha, is that so?!" Misaki inquired a little too enthusiastically, her voice hitching almost an octave higher towards the end.

A chuckle could be heard through the phone. " _Yes, I'm sure you're aware of the reasons. Now, how about I inform you of what I called for and—oh dear, are you alright? Your breathing sounds rather labored,"_ he asked worriedly.

Misaki turned red—well, redder than she already was, at least. "I'm perfectly FINE!" she restrained herself from fully yelling at him in frustration. Once this call was over, Takumi was going to get the beating of his life…

" _Are you sure? Do you have a cold? Oh, I might've forgotten to stash some medicine in the villa. I can have my assistant send some over if you don't have—"_

"N-No sir, that won't be an issue. There's medicine, and besides, I'm fine," she insisted, feeling a gentle breeze in her ear. She let out a squeak of surprise, which didn't go unnoticed by either of the males. Takumi smirked, while Director Hirayama grew more concerned.

"If you say so…" he mumbled. "Well, I was simply calling to say that you're leaving the mountains tomorrow! Yep, your two months are up," he said, wondering what Misaki's reaction would be.

Instantly, her face dropped, the angry look now gone and replaced with a crestfallen one. Almost as if she was having a flashback, memories from the past couple months came flying back at her, making the news even more hard for her.

 _"No, it's my dare, I want to do it," she blurted out. She was honestly shocked at her own words. She saw Takumi's cheeks faintly tinged with pink. She thought that he actually looked pretty cute like that..._

 _She leaned over to him, her breaths short and heavy. "Misaki, if you don't want to-" he tries to say, but I cut him off._

 _"Shut up, I'm trying to do this for you…"_

Misaki frowned, feeling years sting at her eyes, recalling each memory one after another.

 _"U-Um... Could you- I mean... Can y-you uh, hug me..." she stammered. He turned around, and she could see that his eyes were wide. Eventually, he recovers from the shock._

 _"Of course, Misaki," he chuckled._

She almost wanted to cry, but decided she'd settle for that later when she was alone. There was no need to embarrass herself more than needed.

Takumi took notice of her sullen expression, and stopped his actions, backing away and standing in front of her sternly now. What could Director Hirayama have said that made her look so sad?

Misaki forced a fake smile onto her face. She choked out a half-hearted laugh. "Ahaha, really? Time sure flies, doesn't it…" she trailed off towards the end. "I'll be sure to tell Takumi...yes… bye."

She tapped the red button to hang up the phone, giving Takumi a glance and seeing that he was staring directly at her.

"What do you need to be sure to tell me?" he inquired curiously, yet hesitantly, as it appeared that the topic made her upset.

Misaki forced another laugh, though Takumi saw right through it. "Oh, that…? T-Today is our last day here, no biggie…" she tried to play it off cool, but the look on her face gave it all away.

Takumi pulled her into a hug, smoothing her raven hair down comfortingly with his hand. "It's okay to admit that you're sad at times, you know," he told her. Not able to keep herself composed any longer, her bottom lip quivered, confessions slipping from her mouth.

"You're right. I'm really disappointed I guess—I-I just kind of thought that we'd be here together forever and forgot that there was a reality to return to…" she said. "I just don't know what I'd do anymore not living with you and all, I've just grown so accustomed to all this, and I'm afraid that once we part then you'll find someone better since you're not stuck with only just me anymore, and—"

"Shh...Misaki, I'll never leave you. We'll be shooting an entire movie together, we have each other's phone numbers, and if I'm really that incredibly irresistible then you can just move into my house," he says calmly, a playful tone in his voice towards the end. Misaki turned red.

"I-Irresistible?! Don't kid yourself, Takumi," she scoffed. "And I have a roommate, for your information. I'm not just going to ditch Sakura like that out of nowhere."

Takumi smirked at her predictable reaction. "But, what if by some chance, Sakura moves in with Kuuga? What then?"

Misaki rolled her eyes. "She would leave me and do tha—" she quickly shut her mouth, glaring at Takumi who had a triumphant look on his face. She would do that. "Well, it's not like that kind of situation will occur," she corrected herself.

"There's something called marriage," he reminded her. "Most married couples end up living together. Even many fiancées."

Sighing in defeat, Misaki leaned her head against his chest. "I don't know anymore...all I know is that I'm going to miss this villa and all the memories we made here," she told him, glancing around the hall they were in. He chuckled.

"Well, we'll have to make some more memories in our last day here," he spoke. Misaki looked at him.

"Is this going to be another one of your perverted suggestions?" she asked, really hoping he was being serious for once.

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Well, no, not initially, but do you want it to be?" he inquired teasingly. She blushed.

"N-No way!" she exclaimed defensively, pulling out of the hug and crossing her arms over her chest. He smiled.

"I was simply going to suggest that we go out somewhere fun today and enjoy ourselves," he said. "How about it?"

Misaki glanced at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She offered a small smile back.

"Sounds like a plan."

 **-o-**

 **First update of 2017! Happy New Year!**


	28. Waving Goodbye

**GUYS I WATCHED THE LIVE ACTION OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST WITH THREE FRIENDS TODAY IT WAS SO AMAZING GO WATCH IT. NOW.**

 **I'm so sorry for not updating for… what, two months?! Gah, I'm such an awful person.**

 **Shoutout to my bae bee (aka arrowbee) since our birthdays were March 7th and also we swapped instagrams a while ago and it's so nice talking to her all the time :')**

 **My apologies for the disappointingly short chapter y'all. I've actually got the rest of the story mapped and planned out now so… more frequent updates!**

 **Also since the beauty and the beast live action was SO. GOOD. I will be updating The Thorns of Love soon! ;;**

 **-o-**

"Takumi, why won't you tell me where we're going yet?" Misaki complained, throwing her head back and childishly groaning. Takumi chuckled at her impatience.

"We're almost there, Misaki. Just a little further," he promised with a wink. She rolled her eyes at his futile attempt at flirting.

Walking faster as to catch up with him, she quickly gripped the picnic basket held in his right hand and yanked it out of his grasp. "Seriously, you should let me carry something too," she mumbled, triumphantly lifting the picnic basket up before letting it hang beside her.

Takumi smirked. "Such a man, Misaki," he chuckled, before taking hold of the basket as well. "Well, unfortunately for you, as the gentleman I am, I must carry this for you. It'd be improper to allow a beautiful lady such as yourself hold this heavy basket."

Misaki glared at him, only tightening her grip on the woven straw-like material, feeling little jabs in her hand. "Are you calling me weak? Incompetent?" she challenged, well-knowing that Takumi didn't mean any of that stuff, but only wanting to get a reaction out of him. After all, their little walk had been rather uneventful so far.

He raised an eyebrow at her antics. "If it means you letting go of the basket, then yes," he said with a shrug of his right shoulder. Misaki frowned, tugging the basket towards herself roughly.

"You're mean," she insulted, childishly sticking her tongue out at him. Takumi smirked, quickly jabbing her nose, causing her hands to instinctively fly up to cover it.

"What the hell was that for, Taku—" she was about to go off, until she spotted the object in his hand. "Give me the basket back," she demanded. She mentally cursed him for being so damn sneaky—he knew her too well, either that or she was just predictable, and snatched the basket when she let go.

"You're the one who let go of it," he states, giving her a smug grin before walking off ahead of her. _What the hell. It's hot, I'm tired, I have no clue where we're going or how much further it is, and now I'm not even allowed to carry a basket,_ she mentally complained, listing off all her discomforts.

The couple continued to trudge up a large hill, Misaki having to occasionally jog to keep up with Takumi's speed. She cursed him for having such long legs.

Five minutes of absolute silence passed between the two, which Misaki didn't mind much as it allowed her to enjoy the beautiful scenery around them, before Takumi abruptly stopped. The raven haired female, too caught up in the world around her, promptly crashed into Takumi's back, sending her down to the ground only to land on her butt.

"Ouch," she hissed, "my butt hurts."

Takumi turned around immediately, flashing her a smirk. "Would you like me to massage it for you? Maybe that'll help ease the pain," he offered seductively. Misaki turned red.

"N-No!" she exclaimed, getting up and dusting off the back of her shorts. "Geez, you're seriously too much for me sometimes," she huffed, rolling her eyes and lightly punching him in the shoulder. "Anyway, why did you stop so suddenly?"

Takumi, deciding not to pursue the previous matter any longer, dropped the topic and instead answered her question. "That, my dear Misaki, would be because we have arrived at our destination."

Misaki ignored the fact that he'd called her his dear, as she glanced around the area they were in skeptically. Sure, it was pretty, being surrounded by trees and such, but… "Takumi, why are we by the edge of a cliff…?"

They stared each other dead in the eyes for a few moments, and for a second Misaki wondered if she'd said something wrong. Her suspicions were confirmed when Takumi cracked a smile, before bursting out into laughter.

Misaki blushed. "W-What's so funny?" she demanded. Takumi continued to grin.

"We're going to go swimming, silly," he stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Misaki's eye twitched.

"I'm sorry, but where the hell is the water?" she inquired, only to be answered by Takumi pointing down at the bottom of the cliff.

Her eyes followed his finger, as her look of confusion and smugness soon became one of fear. She swore her eyes were going to pop from their sockets at the sight

Sure, the cliff wasn't _that_ terrifyingly tall; after all, it couldn't have been any worse than her jumping down that staircase. Still, the idea of jumping off a cliff still scared her more than she'd like to admit.

"U-Uh," she stammered. "Actually, I think I'll stay up here. In fact, you should too," she added, fearing for his safety as well as hers. He chuckled.

"It'll be fun," he promised. "Unless...you're scared?"

Something in her mind clicked at that moment, as she turned to him angrily and fumed.

"Scared? Me? Ha, sure!" she laughed haughtily. "But, well, it appears I have no swimsuit, since I didn't know we were coming here, so—"

"Oh," Takumi said, successfully cutting her off. "There's no need to worry about that. I brought along some swimwear for us."

Misaki hoped he was just joking, but the moment he pulled a red floral print bikini out from his bag, she knew she was doomed. Thinking up a quick excuse, she blurted, "There's no way I'm wearing _that_ in public! If you brought along a one-piece then I would've gladly cooperated, but…"

Takumi sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot," he muttered, feigning disappointment, before pulling out a backless, jet black one piece. "Though I knew you wouldn't wear the bikini, so I brought this."

Misaki gaped. "What are you, a freaking magician?" she asked in disbelief. Realizing he wasn't giving up anytime soon, Misaki quickly snatched the article of clothing from his hands, before wandering to a large tree and standing behind it.

"What are you doing?" Takumi inquired. Misaki pulled at the hem of her shirt.

"Uh, changing? What do you _think_ I'm doing?" she asked a matter-a-factly, glancing around to make sure it was definitely vacant before quickly pulling her shirt over her head.

"But Misaki," he whined. "Why can't you just change here? After all, we're practically a married coup—"

Misaki turned red in the face, quickly finishing up faster than he'd expected as he soon found her standing before him. "We are _not_ like a married couple!" she exclaimed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Explain how we aren't? We even bicker like we're married~" he hummed happily.

"Takumi!" she yelled angrily, before completely losing it and pushing him playfully...a little too roughly, straight off the cliff and into the water.

She gasped in horror, quickly scrambling to her knees and peeking off the edge. She saw him pummeling down, before a huge splash appeared and quickly disappeared.

She held her breath as she waited for him to resurface. After a few seconds, she began to panic. Did he even know _how_ to swim?

Without thinking, her body moved on its own and sent her down into the water after him. She held her breath, allowing the very cold, yet quite refreshing contrast to the previous heat, to submerge her entire being.

The relaxation she felt, however, only lasted a good couple seconds or so, as she quickly remembered the task at hand. She flailed her arms around, helping lift herself to the surface as fast as possible.

As soon as her head popped up from beneath the water's surface, she forced her stinging eyes open and looked around frantically. "Takumi! Takumi, where are you?!"

She thrashed around a bit, turning her head every direction to find him. Misaki felt a pair of hands touch her waist, and let out a yelp.

"Misaki, calm down. I'm fine—"

"TAKUMI!" she cried in relief. Spinning around to face him, she threw her arms around his neck. "Don't scare me like that! I-I thought I hurt you!"

Takumi wrapped an arm around her, wide-eyed. He did stay underwater longer than needed just to joke around with her, but he didn't intend for her to react like this. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

Misaki lifted her head from his chest, staring directly into his eyes with her glossy ones. "I-It's okay. But, how are we going to get back up..?" she asked. Misaki was up always for adventures and new experiences, but she wasn't quite fond of the idea that they had to climb an extremely tall cliff after falling into a body of water.

Takumi chuckled dryly, his humorous mood long gone. "This is a common place for tourists to come hang out and swim, so don't worry, it's not dangerous. I know where the path is to head back up," he explained.

Misaki nodded, allowing him to lead the way. They didn't have to swim very far at all before they came along a small piece of land with a stone path leading all the way back up to the top of the cliff.

When they arrived at the top, Misaki was welcomed with a white, fluffy towel in her face. She took it off, enabling her ability to see again, before realizing that Takumi had given it to her in order to dry off. A small smile appeared on her face. He really did care about her a lot.

"Thanks," she said. "Did you bring one for yourself?"

"A towel? Yes, I have an extra, don't worry about me," he replied. Misaki finished drying her hair off, before glancing at Takumi and turning red in the face.

He was now completely topless, giving her a fantastic view of his abs. She'd seen his bare torso plenty of times in the past, but no matter how many times she did, it never seemed to get old.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed. He smirked at her embarrassment.

"We're going swimming, of course. You didn't think that was it, did you?"

Misaki looked at her feet. "I-I don't really want to go down again," she admitted.

Takumi's smile faded, as he reached out to pat her arm. He knew why she didn't want to go back down, and he felt bad. "Hey, I won't try anything like that again, okay?"

She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. She suddenly felt reassured by his genuine tone. "Okay."

 **-o-**

After another hour or so of swimming, bickering, and play-fighting, Misaki and Takumi were ready to return home. He slid his large t-shirt over her head, which reach halfway down her thighs, and began their journey back.

"Hey, Takumi," she began.

"Hmm?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Aren't you gonna miss it here?"

Slipping an arm behind her knees and one to support her back, he swept her off the ground like a princess. "Of course I am, but you shouldn't be so sad," he smiled. "We'll make brand new memories back in L.A."

Misaki found herself grinning like an idiot halfway through his sentence. Somehow, just hearing the words come out of his mouth made her feel much better.

"You're right. Thank you, Takumi. And, uh, could you put me down?"


	29. Hospitality

"So, how was your vacation?"

Just like that, Misaki and Takumi found themselves stuffed back into the van, luggage in the trunk and an extra bag by their feet.

It was hot, stuffy, uncomfortable, and most definitely _not_ the ideal situation for them to be stuck in. To make matters worse, they were forced into the car with that same peach-haired devil of a lady as their driver.

"It was nice," Misaki replied, deciding not to give any more detail than asked for. Takumi nodded in agreement.

"Well," she started, reaching her hand up and adjusting the mirror to make eye contact with Misaki, "it better have been worth it, since you two _idiots_ decided it'd be an oh-so-lovely idea to resolve the whole reporter and media issue by kissing. Do you know how hard it was on your director and I?!" she scolded. Misaki flinched, while Takumi smirked upon remembering the entire fiasco.

"Uh, yeah," she laughed nervously in the back. "I apologize for that and—"

"To be completely fair, I don't regret it one big and see no reason as to why Misaki should be apologizing," Takumi stated. "If we hadn't done that, even more rumors would be cooked up and the situation would've gotten out of hand."

The driver pulled over the car, before turning around in her seat and staring at Takumi. "I do see where you're coming from, but I don't make mindless accusations without doing my research, Walker."

Said blonde man arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

She cleared her throat, turning back around in her seat and hitting the gas petal. "Well, that's not for me to say. Why don't you go ahead and search it to see for yourself?"

Misaki glanced at the two of them, a confused look on her face. She had no idea what the driver was talking about, and by the looks of it, Takumi didn't either.

Quickly pulling his phone out of his pocket, Takumi tapped his screen a few times before pulling up a page. His face morphed from one of confusion, to shock, to nervousness. This made Misaki quite skeptical because Takumi was _never_ nervous.

Leaning over and snatching the phone out of his hand, she scanned the screen. The headline almost made her drop the expensive device. What the hell was this?

"...Takumi Usui cheats on girlfriend with new rising star Misaki Ayuzawa."

She read it aloud in a dull tone, flashing Takumi a look that clearly said "this better not be true or I'll beat your ass and then hers".

Takumi made a face. "Don't look at me like that. We both know it's not true."

They held eye contact for a few moments, before Misaki looked back down at the phone. The words shined up at her in a taunting way, her finger hovering over the screen, ready to scroll down and read the rest.

But, instead, she took her thumb and hit the power button on the side.

"I trust you," she said. "I don't even need to read this silly article to know that." Misaki tossed the phone back into his lap and glanced up at his expression. He was smiling.

She watched as he opened his mouth to say something, but an alert expression immediately replaced his happy one as a loud screeching noise made everyone in the car go half-deaf.

Misaki only had a second to look ahead through the windshield, in which all she saw was a car spinning towards them and the peach-haired driver frantically turning the steering wheel, before she felt her head hit something and the entire world go black.

 **-o-**

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

Misaki woke up to a beeping noise and a throbbing headache. She opened one of her eyes, only to wince at the bright lights. Remembering vaguely the previous events, she could only guess where she was.

The hospital.

She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. There were fuzzy memories of them being swerved into by another car. _Takumi was showing me that article on his phone...then—_

She suddenly sat up in the bed, looking around. "Takumi?" she asked, her voice coming out in a croak. She cleared her throat before trying again. "Takumi…"

The door opened, and she somewhat expected Takumi to walk through, only to be let down when seeing a man in a white coat walk in. A doctor.

"Miss Ayuzawa, you're awake," he stated. She internally rolled her eyes. _Wow, I didn't notice. Thanks, Captain Obvious._

"Uh, yes."

The doctor wrote something on his clipboard. "Well, as you could probably tell, you're perfectly fine. I'm sure you're wondering about Mr. Usui and Honoka, am I right?" he inquired. Misaki nodded her head eagerly. She never quite got the driver's name, but she assumed it was Honoka.

He handed her the clipboard and a pen. "I'm just going to need you to sign right at the bottom so I can discharge you," he explained, "then I'll bring you to the others."

Misaki nodded, quickly scribbling her signature where she was told to. The doctor tucked her form behind some other files before unhooking her from the IV machine and gesturing for her to follow him.

They got out of the room and she was soon lead to one where Takumi lay.

She cracked open the door, immediately spotting him on the bed. She sighed in relief upon seeing his eyes open. He was awake, which eliminated any chances of him being in a coma or dead.

She pushed open the door a bit more "Taku—" she stopped mid-sentence. Someone was beside his bed, talking to him. And it wasn't Honoka, nor did they seem like a doctor.

"Explain to me why you're here again?" Takumi asked the woman.

Her lips curled up in a small, almost mocking, grin. "I wanna meet this girl that you're 'cheating with!'" she exclaimed excitedly. Takumi sighed disgustedly.

Deciding not to eavesdrop any longer, she knocked on the side of the door, clearing her throat and making her presence known. The two blondes looked up at her in surprise.

"Yeah, I'd like to meet her, too," Misaki told him, placing a hand on her hip. Her face was scrunched up in anger. _So_ this _is my competition._

The blonde woman chuckled. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were Misaki Ayuzawa, correct?"

She nodded. "Indeed. And you are…?"

"Maria. Maria Miyazono," she introduced. The lady caught a quick glance at Takumi, then averted her attention back to Misaki, before adding, "Takumi's girlfriend."

The blonde man sat up quickly in his hospital bed. "Mari—"

"Hmm," Misaki hummed thoughtfully. "I guess that makes two of us," she laughed, surprisingly calm in such a situation. Almost _too_ calm. She simply shrugged and took her hand off her hip, allowing it to now hang at her side.

"I'm off to Honoka's room, now. Forgive me for worrying about you," Misaki said, a venomously sweet tone coating her words. She spun on her heel and left the room without a second glance back at either of them.

Once the raven haired girl was out of hearing range, Takumi glared at his cousin.

"Honestly, what was that all about?" he asked, now starting to lose his patience. Maria responded with a deceivingly innocent giggle.

"I just thought it'd be interesting to see her reaction...and I was right. She's quite the girl," she observed. Takumi raised an eyebrow.

"She's not a toy for you to just play around with," he stated. Maria nodded in agreement.

"I know, I know…" she said, averting her eyes to the wall, a look of admiration coming over her face. "But did you see her expression when she laid her eyes on me?! Takumi, dear, I think she loves me!"

"I'm pretty sure that was her face of pure resentment and jealousy."

Ignoring his discouraging comments, she continued on. "And did you _see_ those breasts? I just wanted to squish her and e—"

" _Maria_."

"Oh, yes? Were you saying something?" she inquired, snapping back into reality. Takumi sighed.

"Maria, this is _my_ girlfriend we are talking about," he informed her. Maria smirked.

"Getting jealous now, are we Takumi?" she taunted.

"Maria cut it out, seriously."

 **-o-**

"Thanks for coming to check up in on me. At least you cared enough, unlike that other brat in the car with you."

Misaki shook her head. "Oh, no, it's my pleasure. I'm just so glad you're not hurt," she smiled.

The same doctor that came in to discharge Misaki arrived in Honoka's room in no time. She watched the peach haired lady sign the papers and get up out of bed.

"You're still here, Miss Ayuzawa?" the doctor asked her.

"Well, yeah. I had to make sure my…" an image of emerald eyes popped up into her head. "T-that my work partners were okay."

Honoka, sharp as ever, instantly caught her particular use of words. "Work partners?"

Misaki gave a pained smile. "Well, yeah. You and Takumi, right?" she asked as if it were obvious. Honoka pressed her lips tightly together.

"Yeah…"

 **-o-**

Misaki left the hospital with Honoka, realizing that they were back in the big city she was used to. Well, of course they were. That's where the biggest hospitals were, after all.

"So, what's up with you and lover boy?" Honoka inquired. Misaki jumped in surprise.

"L-Lover boy? I have no idea who you're talking about," she replied, shrugging a shoulder. Honoka rolled her eyes.

"Takumi. _Takumi_ you stubborn woman."

"Ohh, him!" Misaki laughed nonchalantly. "I wouldn't know. Maybe you should ask his _girlfriend._ " she hissed, before quickly clasping a hand over her mouth in realization at what she'd just said.

" _Girlfriend?!_ "

"Err—I meant, um…" she racked her brain for a plausible excuse, but could fine none. "Well...yeah, I guess you could say he was kinda, sorta, cheating on me." she almost flinched saying the words herself. It sounded loads more awful coming out of her mouth. She could almost see the headlines now. _Rising star Misaki Ayuzawa cheated on by incredibly hot and rich boyfriend, Takumi Usui._

"Why did I even think I had a chance with him in the first place…" she muttered to herself. Gathering a bag of her belongings saved from the car crash, she turned to Honoka. "Come on, let's go. I can get a taxi, or—" she stopped talking once she realized she was talking to herself. Honoka was _gone._

"Honoka?"

 **-o-**

Honoka raged down the hallways, searching for Room 37. After a solid minute, she stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath to calm herself before twisting the doorknob and roughly shoving it open.

Takumi and Maria both stared at the door, obviously surprised to see _this_ person of all people. They'd secretly been waiting for Misaki to return, but for their _driver_ to come back? This sure took a turn.

"You cheating skank," she blurted. "I don't care if you're some famous actor or whatever, you do not have a right to cheat on—"

 _Click!_

All their attentions turned to where behind Honoka was standing, right at the door frame. A young man stood there, a large camera in his hands. He had a mic hanging out of his bag, which luckily didn't look like it was on at the moment, and a notepad.

"This is quite the scoop," he chuckled, jotting a few notes before taking off. The three simply stood there, still in shock.

"Oh fucking hell. Misaki is _not_ going to like this. First her boyfriend cheats on her, and now—"

"Honoka, listen. I didn't cheat on her," Takumi cut her off quickly. "This is my _cousin_ , Maria Miyazono."

She grinned sheepishly. "I _accidentally_ told Misaki we were dating...I thought she'd stay long enough for me to be able to explain, but she ran off."

"Well, then tell her that, you lousy scums!" Honoka exclaimed. "That poor girl is outside feeling like shit right now and you're taking your sweet ol' time in that bed."

Maria and Takumi exchanged a glance.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't need to..." he murmured.

"Pardon?"

Takumi smiled nervously. "Just, can you bring Misaki up? I really need to talk to her," he requested.

Honoka looked surprised by that. "I'm sure that can be done. Give me a moment…" she said, leaving the room wordlessly and heading back downstairs. She only hoped Misaki didn't leave already.

 **-o-**

 **Woo! Next chapter is chapter 30 aren't y'all excited? I know I'm excited. I actually have a wooonderful idea for the next five or so chapters and I'm hyped to start writing them :DD**

 **ALSOOO my bae bee (aka ArrowBee) and I will most likely be starting a collab soon, so bee sure to look out for that! (do you see what I did there...BEE sure…okay I'll stop ahaaa)**


	30. Familiar Faces

**FAST UPDATE YAAAY.**

 **Idk y'all I feel like I did a good job on the plot but the actual writing itself is trash!**

 **ENJOY.**

 **-o-**

" _Oh, Honoka, pretty please with a jumbo-sized cherry on tooooop!" the cheerful woman begged. The peach haired lady made a face._

" _Why do you want me to look after this Misaki girl, anyway?" she asked. "As far as I know, she's not related to you in any way, shape, or form, Satsuki."_

 _She shook her head. "We may not be blood related but she's like a niece to me. Except, like, a really cool niece that's an actress."_

 _Honoka rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you've established that. Multiple times."_

 _Satsuki pouted. "Just_ please _be their personal driver for this round trip?"_

" _Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully "What do I get out of it?"_

" _Everytime you come over you now have access to my freezer and all the mint chocolate chip ice cream."_

 _Honoka grinned evilly. "It's a deal."_

" _Score!" Satsuki yelled. "Make sure to fill me in on the juicy details!"_

 **-o-**

"Misaki," Honoka called. She walked outside to be met with nothing but the sight of the occasional person walking down the sidewalk and bustling cars on the roads.

Walking further down, her ears picked up the sound of quiet sniffling. Honoka tensed up, instantly thinking of dogs. She was absolutely _terrified_ of dogs and did _not_ want to run into one now.

She spun around, half-expecting to find one of those vicious creatures at her feet. But what she was not expecting was to see the amber-eyed girl she'd been searching for all along sobbing beside a few bushes.

"Misaki…?" she called, tentatively, not wanting to scare the fragile girl.

Hearing her name being called, the strong-willed female quickly wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "O-Oh, Honoka, you're back," she said, trying her best to force a convincing smile onto her face. "I was just waiting for you."

Honoka frowned. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but she already knew and didn't want to make it worse. "Takumi wants to see you in his hospital room. Is that okay with you?" she requested.

Misaki meekly nodded her head. "Come with me," she told Honoka, trying her best not to burst out in tears again at the mere sound of his name. Picking up her bags, they both re-entered the hospital, finding Takumi's room.

Hearing the door open, Takumi jumped into explanation. "Misaki please, I know a lot happened in the past few hours and it's a lot to take in at once—" he stopped upon seeing her face. "What the hell?! You were crying?" he exclaimed, trying to get out of his bed, only to be stopped by the IV machine and an excruciating pain in his leg.

"Takumi!" she cried, watching him fall to the floor. Misaki rushed over to his side, gripping his arm to help him back onto the bed. She knew it, he was hurt. It was too good to be true that all of them got out of the accident injury-free.

Hearing her worried tone, Takumi reached up and gently ran his thumb beneath her eye. It was slightly red and puffy, and he hated himself for it because he knew he was the reason she was crying.

"I'm so sorry," he said. Misaki shook her head.

"As long as you get better it's all that matters to me," she whispered, stealing a quick glance at Maria, who was standing to the side along with Honoka who both looked concerned.

Deciding to stay silent for the moment, Takumi allowed her to help him up back into the bed. He would explain everything that needed to be explained soon.

 **-o-**

Awkward.

That was the word to describe the situation they were in at the moment.

Misaki, Takumi, Maria, and Honoka all sat in an _awkward_ ly shaped circle with the blonde woman stealing glances at an _awkward_ Misaki every three seconds which made it super _awkward_ and there was a totally _awkward_ silence.

Yeah, that's a whole lot of awkward.

Finally, deciding to get to the point instead of dragging this on, Takumi cleared his throat.

"Misaki," he started, "first of all, we need to clear something up. You are the only one I love and will ever love. Maria, for some reason, decided it would be _hilarious_ to pull an immature prank on you, but she is indeed my cousin. I would never in a million years even _think_ of cheating on you, Misaki. I need you to know that."

The raven haired female threw up a quick glance at Maria, then at Takumi.

"It's true," the blonde woman confirmed, "I did do that. But not for the reason you're thinking."

"What's the reason I'm thinking?"

"I can tell that you think I pulled such a stunt to make you jealous—or maybe because I didn't think you were worthy of my cousin," she grinned. "But actually, Misaki, I think I'm in love with you."

The entire room fell silent. Takumi sighed, placing his forehead in his palm, Misaki was completely shocked and rendered speechless, and Honoka glanced at everyone's expressions, wide-eyed at the sudden announcement.

"..."

"Y-You're my boyfriend's cousin...I don't understand how—" she tried to speak, only to be silenced.

"Misaki," Maria started. "Love is a feeling that cannot be explained. Even though your heart belongs to my brother, I shall soon _steal it from him and make it mine._ "

"Not creepy at _all_ ," Honoka commented dryly.

Misaki cracked a smile. "Well, um, with that aside, Takumi, I should've let you explain before just running off like that. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be."

Misaki's smile faded. "But um...what's wrong with your leg?" she inquired, her eyebrows furrowing.

He inhaled sharply, before answering hesitantly, "I broke it."

Misaki frowned, eyeing his leg carefully, which was covered by.a white blanket. She figured he'd been trying to hide this from her. "Doesn't it hurt?!"

He laughed. "Incredibly much. I'm just on lots of medication," he gestured towards multiple small, orange pill bottles. "In fact I had to stop myself from asking for them to just chop off my leg."

She continued to stare, tears brimming at her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Takumi, noticing her guilt, ushered her over towards him. He glanced at Maria and Honoka, before quickly looking at the door. They both got the message and waved before leaving.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad," he soothed, pulling her into a hug. She nodded.

"I know, I know," she sobbed, allowing him to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry for being so useless. All I do nowadays is cry over dumb stuff while you get hurt…"

He frowned. "You're not useless. Without you I'd be nothing," he reassured her. Her heart skipped a beat. No matter how many times he said such things, it never failed to make her flustered and not to mention extremely happy.

She pulled out of the hug, looking into his eyes seriously. "D-Did the driver get charged?" she asked. Takumi's forehead wrinkled as he shook his head slowly.

"All they could find was his wrecked car. The driver was gone by the time anyone arrived."

Misaki sighed. "Damn it."

 _Bing!_

Her phone alerted in her pocket, telling her that she received a message. She quickly dug it out and turned it on to see that Sakura had texted her.

She was quite confused when she read it. All Sakura left was a link to some page but nothing explaining what it was. Slightly suspicious, she tapped the blue link.

"Something wrong?" Takumi asked. Misaki shook her head.

"No, no. It's just that—" the page loaded and Misaki stared at it, wide-eyed. This was the most absolutely outrageous thing she'd ever seen in her entire life. Aside from when one day she found Suzuna with her head stuck in a fence. That took the cake, but this was a close second. "Uhh, actually, I take that back. Yes."

She flashed the phone screen his way so he could read.

"Takumi Usui cheats on girlfriend, Maria Miyazono, with second girlfriend's best friend…" he read aloud.

"Who even comes up with these ideas?" Misaki muttered. She scrolled down to find a picture of Honoka screaming at Takumi, with Maria beside him looking rather shocked.

Takumi, who was now looking over her shoulder, commented, "That was when Honoka came up to yell at me for 'cheating on you'."

Misaki frowned. Although these stories were indeed outrageous in her head, it was unbelievable how many people actually trusted these kinds of articles and built judgements off them. "We need to have this taken down. At this rate, our careers could be ruined with these crazy scandals."

He nodded in agreement. "Well, let's get out of this hospital, then. Nothing is going to be resolved by just sitting here."

"What about your leg?"

"Sweet Misaki, there is an amazing contraption called _crutches."_

She grinned sheepishly. "Oh, yeah."

 **-o-**

Misaki and Takumi stood in front of an _incredibly_ tall building. After calling Director Hirayama, he informed them that this was the place where most of the media, including news reports and articles, were controlled by.

"How may I help you?" A security guard asked. Misaki glanced at Takumi, then back at him.

"Hi, I'm Misaki Ayuzawa—"

"Please come right on in," he interrupted, opening the large glass door for her and gesturing for her to enter. She glanced suspiciously at the guard. She barely finished saying her _name_ , so why was he so quick to allow her in?

"Uh, thank you."

They both entered the building, before Misaki began glancing around in awe.

"It's so beautiful in here," she gasped, staring at the high ceilings and marble floors. It kind of reminded her of the mansion.

"I would normally hug you because of how cute you look right now," he said, before lifting up a crutch. "But unfortunately I can't."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You can't be a pervert anymore~" she teased, feeling quite accomplished.

"You have a nice ass, Misaki."

She turned red. "W-What kind of random, perverted thing—"

"See? I can still be a pervert," it was his turn to stick his tongue out at her.

Misaki huffed and turned away from him. "Whatever," she said, "let's just go find a worker here…"

Chuckling at her ignorance, Takumi made his way towards a receptionist. "Do you know which department is responsible for media? I'd like to ask for an article to be taken down."

She looked up from her papers, surprised. At first, she was going to turn him away, telling him that it would be impossible to do, but after realizing it was _him_ and that lady…

"Actually, you can talk to the president for that. He's at the very top floor. His door is at the end of the far right hallway," she instructed.

"Got it," he nodded, turning to find Misaki at his side.

"President's office? Something seems off, Takumi," she whispered.

He nodded, walking to a nearby elevator. "I agree, but it couldn't hurt to try."

"I don't know…" she muttered, standing in the large elevator. He pressed the top floor. "It's just, I don't know how to say this, but something's been bothering me ever since we came in here."

He looked at her, concerned. Maybe she was hurt from the accident as well. "What is it? Are you feeling sick?"

She pressed her lips together. He didn't get it. "It's not that kind of bothering me, it's like…" she shrugged. "Nevermind. It's nothing."

The elevator doors opened, and they exited. Misaki felt strange. She was racking her brain for an answer she didn't even know the question to.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of a large door. Reaching out, she hesitantly knocked on it, still thinking hard.

 _Igarashi Incorporated…_

"Come in," a familiar voice spoke. Misaki was immediately alert. She twisted the doorknob, allowing the door to swing open. She felt a heavy feeling in her chest.

 _Igarashi Incorporated…_

"Igarashi," she spoke out loud, snapping her fingers. She knew something was familiar about that name…and that voice…

The man spun around in his large, leather chair. That's when she recognized him. Lime green hair, and golden eyes.

 _The boy from the Nebuta Matsuri…!_


End file.
